The Brokenhearted
by Wild-N-Waste
Summary: Chat Noir learns that the truth is far more painful than he'd ever imagined. This story will follow him as he tries to figure out how to cope with his new reality as the son of a supervillain. Will it break him? Or will he persevere?
1. Chapter 1: Dumpster Diver

He lay on his back looking up at the forbidding sky. The drifts of snow gathered on his chest and hair as he slowly breathed in and out, gathering his thoughts. He closed his eyes. When had everything gone so wrong? Then again, he knew deep down that things had always been wrong. He just hadn't seen the truth of it all until now. _Perhaps my bad luck is the reason why I was chosen to be Chat Noir..._ he thought bitterly blinking his eyes at the tears that had formed there. Perhaps it was the cold that brought them on or perhaps they had formed from his bitterness. They fell in chilled rivulets down his temples and into his hair.

He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat, holding back the bile. His stomach had already rejected all of its contents. It had nothing left to give up but the mouthful of snow he'd swallowed in an attempt to wash the taste away. The chill of the mid-winter night seeped into his very bones and he wished that he could simply fall asleep there in the cold and dark and never wake again. The forlorn embrace of darkness was far more welcoming than the truth that waited for him in the daylight.

Hawkmoth had found him – or so he thought – in his room that evening, only to reveal to Chat Noir his identity. His father stood there beckoning to him. He had known for several months that he was Chat Noir but why hadn't he tried to take his Miraculous? He and his father had a rocky relationship, to say the least, and that was before this revelation. How was he even supposed to function in his normal day-to-day life with this crushing truth hanging over him? Then for Gabriel to state so simply that he knew where Adrien's mother was... that she was coming home... that she was- _NO!_ His brain protested. _Don't think about that! It's not true!_ The truth couldn't be that bad... could it? These facts swirled in his mind making him feel dizzy. In a matter of moments, his father had thoroughly obliterated any semblance of reality the boy had left. What had been the point of revealing his identity? Why now?

What else was being kept from him?

Chat Noir pondered the implications of this question for a long time as the snow gathered around him. What else was being kept from him, yes, but also, by who? Was Ladybug keeping things from him as well? It felt as though Ladybug and Hawkmoth were playing a game of chess and Chat only just realized his role was that of the sacrificial pawn. Was he always meant to be sacrificed? Caught in the middle of two warring parties, forgotten? If that were the case then perhaps it _would_ be better if he never woke up...

 _I hope Ladybug isn't the one who finds me..._ he thought idly as the tiny crystallized flakes clung to his body effectively burying him in a layer of white where he lay motionless. _She's the only one who would find me on a rooftop. I should have laid in a back alley if I didn't want her to find me._

He mulled over the idea of wandering off to find a dumpster to throw himself into as the snowfall grew thicker. He let out a huff as he thought to himself, _If I let myself die from exposure, she'd probably bring me back to life just so she could put me in my grave herself._ The thought would have normally brought with it some kind of mirth but now, it seemed to echo hollowly through his mind. Yes, it was better if he didn't wake up at all.

Chat Noir felt like a puppet on a string as his numb limbs pushed him clumsily off the roof. Shakily he got to his feet, his hands fumbling with his staff as his lifeless fingers failed to grip it properly. Using his staff he lowered himself to the sidewalk of the street below. He nearly fell to the ground but managed to grip his staff just tight enough to slow his dissent. Landing with a dull crack on the cement as his knees buckled and slammed into the ground. It was perhaps a good thing he couldn't feel his legs from the knee down otherwise he probably wouldn't have been able to stand again.

Chat Noir sighed as he set off. He found himself wandering the back alleys of Paris, talking himself out of climbing into every suitable dumpster he found. _That one is too full..._ came one excuse. _This one smells too bad..._ came another and so on. He wondered dumbly as he passed up yet another perfectly good dumpster if he was simply hoping for someone to jump out of the dumpster and tell him that it had all been a bad joke. His response to which would be to promptly punch them in the throat.

He couldn't be sure how long he'd been wandering the city but it had been hours at least. Losing track of time was the least of his concerns, however. At some point in the night – or perhaps it was early morning? – he stumbled over his numb feet and fell, his head colliding with the ground only a couple meters from the next dumpster. He winced as his vision slowly went dark. This was is then... this was how the not-so-great Chat Noir would die. Alone and cold, not even able to throw himself away as planned. Oh well, perhaps this was for the best...

oOo

The burly man stretched and yawned as he got up from his bed. The life of a baker always started early but he'd been at it for so long, it hardly bothered him anymore. He dressed and made his way down to his bakery the floor below. A day like any other.

The light clicked on casting its yellow hue over the quiet kitchen. Tom began gathering the ingredients for the first recipes of the day. His kitchen was his sanctuary, his oven, the altar at which he placed his offerings. He'd made a habit many years ago of saying a tiny blessing over the first loaves of the day. A little prayer to bless his kitchen and his family.

His hands worked steadily in a well-practiced rhythm as the heat of the ovens drew beads of sweat on his brow. It wasn't unusual for Tom to keep the back door of the bakery open, even in the winter time. As the heat of the ovens warmed the kitchen more than was comfortable to work in, Tom unlocked the back door and pulled it open. It wasn't until he had wedged the door stopper in place that he saw the unusual bundle laying on the cold bricks of the alley.

The yellow light of the kitchen spilled onto the snow but wasn't quite strong enough for him to see clearly. He squinted through the snow and darkness of the wee morning hours only to find the unconscious figure of Chat Noir. The delicate procession of snowflakes was burying him in a sad, soft, silent funeral. The sight alone filled the large man to the brim with an overwhelming sense of loneliness and despair. He choked back the sudden emotions that stung his eyes.

Realization dawned on the big man as he rushed the few steps into the alleyway. Chat Noir couldn't have been there long, the snow was falling hard and it had barely begun to cover him. Tom reached down and gently brushed the snow from the hero's face. He was cold... too cold. Pressing his fingers to Chat's neck, Tom desperately searched for a pulse. There! Faint though it was, it was still there. Tom scooped the boy gingerly into his strong arms and rushed him inside.

"Sabine!" Tom's voice boomed as he thundered up the stairs. Neighbors be damned, a hero of Paris was in dire need! "Sabine quick! Get the electric blanket!"

"Tom?!" The little woman called in worry as her husband came bursting through the front door. She tucked her night robe around herself and tied the sash. "Tom what's going on?!"

"I found him in the back alley by the dumpster!" He breathed quickly holding Chat Noir's lifeless body against his broad chest to try and warm him. "The electric blanket, Sabine! We need to get him warm now!"

As his wife scuttled about to grab the blanket from the closet, Tom sat on the couch still cradling Chat against his chest and rubbing the boy's back and arms and legs vigorously with his hands. Anything to warm him and get the blood flowing properly through him again.

"Oh, Tom!" Sabine said after draping the warming blanket over the two of them. "Look! There's a gash on his forehead!"

Sabine brushed Chat's hair away from his face gently to reveal the bloody wound from when he'd fallen. The little woman collected the first-aid kit from the cabinet under the sink and set to work cleaning and dressing the wound. It wasn't as bad as initially thought but it was disconcerting all the same.

"What do you think happened?" Sabine whispered as she tenderly stroked Chat's hair. "You don't think there was an Akuma attack do you?"

"I don't know..." Tom said after a moment, his brow knitted together in worry. "maybe... well, I don't know if it's rude to assume this but maybe he just fell off the roof? I mean, you know how he and Ladybug are always running across the rooftops. What if he just misstepped in the snow and slipped? He's just a boy, Sabine..." Tom added the last part in a hushed tone as he examined Chat's face in closer detail. "all of Paris is putting its hopes in someone so young. I can't imagine what that must feel like..."

"Poor boy." Sabine sighed and pressed the back of her hand to her lips to suppress a small sob. Chat Noir's lips were positively blue and his skin so very pale with cold. Despite having found him in the nick of time, Tom and Sabine knew that Chat Noir wasn't out of the woods quite yet. He needed to wake up.

"I-I'll go make him some soup!" Sabine's voice was pinched with worry but Tom knew that cooking would distract her from her nerves at least a little. This had been something of a rude awakening for his poor wife. Tom watched her as she shuffled around the kitchen. Occasionally he would pick up Chat Noir's hand to feel if his fingers had warmed and he could see the color returning to the boy's face.

Maybe it was rude to try and wake him up but he couldn't just sit by and wait any longer. Tom found himself gently shaking Chat's shoulder and saying his name in an attempt to rouse him from his _cat_ atonic state. Tom shook his head and grimaced. _Now's not the time to be making jokes!_

Then it happened. As Sabine pressed the spoon to her lips to taste the soup she'd concocted, Tom shouted. Sabine dropped the spoon in fright but her frustration turned on itself immediately when her husband waved her over a ghost of a smile on his lips. Chat Noir had made a noise.

oOo

Everything felt like fire and needles. His body ached deeply through every muscle, even his face. Why was his head pounding? Why was someone stabbing his whole body with pins and needles? Was he dead? Did he go to hell? Is that why it was so hot in here?

Chat scrunched his face against the heat and groaned in a small protest. It would be just his luck to end up in hell. Here he was, a hero of Paris. One of the "Good Guys" and he ended up in hell... go figure. He sighed and pushed his arms weakly against the oppressing heft of whatever was draped over the top of him. Only vaguely aware of the arms that held him and the voices the seemed to echo too distantly to understand their words.

Then a hand was on his cheek. Gentle and nurturing, he could sense it was the hand of a loving mother even without opening his eyes. Oh, right, he had eyes. Perhaps he could get a better sense of his surroundings if he opened them? With great effort, he slowly cracked his eyes open to look around the room. Instead, his eyes found a woman's and the tears that clouded them as she watched him. Her lips were moving but his ears hadn't caught up with the rest of him yet. Chat Noir blinked slowly several times before realizing that he was being held by a large man. The man wasn't really smiling but Chat could see the kindness and the worry in his eyes. Maybe this wasn't hell? Do people care and look concerned in hell? He didn't know.

These people seemed somewhat familiar but his mind was too clouded to place them.

"Tom, prop him up on the couch! I'll go get him some soup!" he heard the woman say and the man nodded. Suddenly Chat felt himself being lifted into the air and then placed on the soft cushions of the sofa. _Soup?_ Chat thought to himself. At least, he was pretty sure he'd heard the word soup. Was she getting him some? Was it good soup? Or was it the stuff from the can? _Soup sounds nice._

A moment later the woman returned with a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other. She sat on the edge of the coffee table and spoke to him once again. "You're shaking rather badly, sweetheart, so I'll help you, alright?" her words were slow and deliberate as if she could tell he was still having a hard time processing them. Chat looked down at his hands and felt a rush of embarrassment. His hands were shaking... why were his hands shaking? He felt his cheeks rush with color as he clumsily tucked his hands away under the blanket to hide them. "It's alright, you have nothing to be ashamed of, dear." The woman's voice was so kind and her smile made him feel warm. He liked this lady.

She raised a spoonful of soup from the bowl and blew on it to cool it down. Chat hesitated for a moment as he looked at the spoonful of soup. He was a hero, should he be accepting this sort of treatment from civilians? He looked back up at the kind woman who sat ever-so-patiently, waiting for him to take a bite.

"D-did you m-make this for m-me?" he asked stupidly. Chat hated how his voice cracked and rasped. The cold air had his throat in a worse way than he thought.

"Never you mind that." her eyes sparkled and her smile became even softer than before, if that were even possible. Chat Noir suddenly felt like an infant being gazed upon lovingly for the first time by its mother. "You need to get something warm in that belly so you can get back on your feet."

Chat leaned forward and let the woman feed him. It was somewhat humiliating but at least Ladybug wasn't here to see this. He sighed as the warm liquid ran down his throat and soothed the dull ache of his frozen esophagus. After a couple minutes of being fed like a toddler, he looked around the house once again, this time more aware of his surroundings.

Chat took in the warmth of the room. It was so homey. It felt lived in. It struck him as familiar. He'd been here before. His eyes finally fell to the bookshelf where a small photo sat propped in its frame. There was the man and the woman who had been helping him but standing between them was a young girl with dark pigtails and brilliant blue eyes.

"Marinette..." he said more to himself than anything but his attention was drawn back to the woman in front of him when he heard her slight intake of breath.

"You know my daughter?" The woman said. Her face was a mix of shock, worry, and delight.

"W-well," he stammered trying to think fast to cover up his mistake. He couldn't give himself away so easily, even in his mentally muddled state. "I-I've run into her a couple of times here and I guess I kind of saved her once or twice during Akuma attacks. But I don't really _know_ her."

"Tom and I even more glad to be helping you then." she smiled at him again standing and moving to the kitchen with the empty bowl. "You should lay down and get some rest. You can't get better if you don't rest."

"Th-thank you so much for your hospitality," Chat Noir stood from the couch feeling his body protest with every movement. "but I c-can't stay. I-"

Before he could finish his thought the small Chinese woman had taken him by the arm and walked him back to the couch and pushed him back into a laying position. She was surprisingly strong for someone so small. The firm smile and determination in her eyes reminded him of how Marinette could get from time to time. Now he knew where she got it from.

"You are not going anywhere until I give you the all clear," she said as she tucked him in tightly with the warm blanket, laying her hand on his chest. "It's no trouble at all and don't you worry about it getting out that you're staying here for now. We won't tell anyone you're here. We know how to keep a secret around here." The woman gave him a sly wink before turning off the light and heading down the stairs to help her husband catch up with his work.

Chat blinked up at the ceiling in the dark room. What did she mean by that? But also, how did she know he was worried that it'd get out that he was staying there? Was she a mind reader? He really hoped not.

Mind reeling and body aching, Chat found it easy to allow himself to drift off to sleep if only to escape the pain.


	2. Chapter 2: Tea and Sympathy

Marinette tried to open her eyes but found them stuck closed. She rubbed them with the back of her hand to free them from sleep. What on earth were her parents yelling about downstairs?! She grumbled incoherently and rolled over in her frustration. It was far too early for her to be late for school not to mention it was Saturday!

She sighed, pulling her pillow over her head. The clinking of the pots and pans and her parent's conversations eventually faded into the background as Marinette found sleep once again. She didn't wake up until the sun had fully risen in mid-morning.

She sat up from her mattress and swung her feet down into her favorite fuzzy, pink slippers. Yawning and stretching, Marinette looked over at her nightstand where a little red creature sat. Her demeanor was usually rather upbeat and happy-go-lucky but there was something off. Her antenna were drooping and she had a sad look in her bright blue eyes. Marinette tilted her head as she looked at her kwami.

"Tikki?" Marinette said with growing concern. It was never a good sign when Tikki was down about something. "Tikki, what's wrong?"

"Marinette," she sighed, floating up to nuzzle into the girl's cheek. "something happened last night. I think you should go downstairs."

"I don't understand," Marinette said her confusion written clearly on her face. "what happened? What are you talking about?"

"You'll see when you go downstairs." was all that Tikki offered her before floating away, her mood still somewhat somber. Marinette shook her head to clear her thoughts. What on earth was going on?

Plucking up her courage, she climbed down the latter from her loft and down the steps into her family's living room. Everything seemed normal. Marinette's eyes narrowed as she took a second look around the room. Well, everything was normal except for the extension cord for the electric blanket was laying across the floor. _Who left this out?_ She thought to herself. She walked around the end of the couch to put the blanket away only to find it still being used. There in the folds of the blanket's warmth was Chat Noir, fast asleep.

It took a long second for the sight to sink in as she listened to his nose make a tiny squeaking sound whenever he tried to inhale. Then it hit her all at once. Marinette jumped back and let out a strangled sounding squeal as she tripped and fell backward. Her head bumped into the dining chair, which knocked into the other dining chair, which sent all three of them scattering to the floor in a clattering cacophony of bangs and squeals.

oOo

Chat Noir was on his feet before the dominoes had finished falling. A look of absolute terror stamped on his face as he scrambled back over the couch and ducked into the kitchen to try and escape whatever was attacking him. When he heard Marinette groan from beneath the chairs he stood up just enough to look over the counter, his heart still thumping away in his ears and throat.

There climbing out from under the chairs was Marinette. Chat let out a sigh of relief but it caught in his sore, dry throat and made him cough. The harsh sensation gave way to more coughing until he was having a fit that threatened to collapse his lungs. After a few seconds – that felt like a small eternity – he managed to get his breathing under control.

Chat turned back to the table and chairs where Marinette had been struggling to stand but she wasn't there. He stood up a little straighter as he realized the chairs where in their place... had he dreamed it? He rubbed his eyes with his hands and moved to go back to the couch when he realized the girl was standing right next to him. He jumped back at the sight of her so close, staring at him with her hands on her hips. Chat held his arms close to his body over his chest to protect himself as if she were actually going to attack him.

"Chat Noir?!" she said in a harsh tone her hands balled into fists at her sides. "What are you doing here?" she motioned with one hand around the living space. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"You were scared?" He protested, his voice cracking and squeaking and sounding like he was whispering though he was trying to yell. "I'm pretty sure I just used three of my nine lives, Princess!"

"What's wrong with you? Why are you talking like that?" she demanded, stomping her foot. At that moment Sabine walked through the front door. She'd heard the commotion and could only imagine what was happening in her living room. She took a split second to look them over and assess the situation. Chat had his arms up in defense and Marinette looked ready for battle.

"Chat Noir, sweetheart," Sabine swooped in and half carried him back to the couch. "I thought I told you to get some rest! Marinette," she said pointedly at her daughter who was left standing and looking bewildered in the kitchen. "be a dear and make the poor boy some nice hot tea."

"You want me to what?" Marinette said still completely confused as to why Chat Noir was in her living room and why her mother seemed not to question it.

"Make some tea..." Sabine restated eyeing her daughter from where she stood next to Chat Noir. The look implied she expected immediate action but her daughter seemed to be absorbed in her own thought. "He's not feeling well, Marinette. We're happy to help a hero of Paris in his time of need. Aren't we?"

"M-Madame please!" Chat huffed trying to hold in a cough. "I-I don't expect anything from anyone! I can make myself s-some tea."

"Don't be silly, Chat Noir!" Sabine said gently stroking his hair after she wrapped the blanket back around his shoulders. "We're here to help! Now tell me, how's your head feeling? That's quite the bump you have there! Do you remember what happened?"

Chat reached up tenderly felt the lump on his brow, wincing as his fingers ran over the bruised flesh beneath the bandage. What happened to his face? And when? He didn't remember hitting his head last night but then again he didn't really remember much of what happened after passing up the fourth or fifth dumpster either... the puzzled look on his face told Sabine his answer.

"What happened?" he rasped looking up at her. "I don't remember how I got here."

"Sweetie," she sighed resting her hand on his shoulder. Marinette had finally begun to brew the tea but was listening rather intently. _Yes,_ she thought in frustration. _tell us what happened. Why is there an alley cat in my house?!_ "Tom went down to the bakery this morning and found you unconscious in the snow in the back alley. He carried you inside but you barely had a pulse and you were so cold you had no color in your face! We were so scared! We thought that Paris was about to lose one of its heroes! I'm so glad Tom keeps the back door open while he bakes! Or else you might have..."

Sabine's voice trailed off, the thought didn't need to be finished. It was obvious enough without needing such an awful thing to be said.

Marinette stopped what she was doing and looked back to her mother sitting next to Chat. What was he doing in the back alley? Had he followed her home after the Akuma attack yesterday evening?! DID HE KNOW SHE WAS LADYBUG?! Marinette felt herself begin to panic as the teapot whistled on the stove. Moving robotically, she prepared the tea and walked stiffly into the living room.

Chat Noir was quiet. He remembered distantly that he'd been mildly upset over not making it to the dumpster only a few meters from where he fell... He fell! That must be how he hurt his head. Then the memories from last night flooded him. The reason he'd been out wandering the streets. The reason he'd been so intent on throwing himself in a dumpster. The reason he didn't want to wake up again.

"I need to find Ladybug," he said suddenly trying to stand from his seat but found himself being pushed back down by both Sabine and Marinette. Marinette had practically slammed the tea down on the coffee table in her attempt to keep him down. Relief flooded her. If he was intent on _leaving_ to find Ladybug, didn't that mean he didn't know it was her? Perhaps him falling behind the bakery really was just a coincidence?

"You're not going anywhere like this!" Sabine and Marinette scolded him together. Marinette blushed with embarrassment. She hated it when she saw how much she acted and sounded like her mother. She stood up abruptly and collected the tea from the table.

"How do you think Ladybug would feel if you went out there looking for her in this weather and caught your death out in the cold!" Sabine warned putting her hands on her cocked hips in a way that reminded Chat Noir of Ladybug.

He remained silent. He hadn't expected to live through the night and the fact that he had lived made everything so much more troublesome. How was he supposed to deal with this? Chat felt his whole body tense up as the room seemed to close in around him.

"You should drink this, it'll help your throat." she didn't look at him directly still a bit embarrassed. He took it after he remembered how to move his arms. Chat's hands were shaking.

"C-close the curtains!" He said suddenly a look of fear flashing in his eyes. The two ladies just blinked at him for a moment, not understanding his sudden urgency. "Close them! No one must know I-I'm here! No one at all! Do you understand, Marinette?"

Marinette jolted at being put on the spot. The familiar sense of panic rising in her chest. _Did_ he or did he _not_ know it was her?! Her emotions teeter-tottered between dread and anger while her face fought to remain neutral in expression. Never having been gifted at hiding her emotions, Marinette knew Chat could see her mind fluctuating. She turned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"O-of course I understand!" she huffed as she found her voice and stomped her way over to each of the windows, pulling the curtains closed one by one. "What do you take me for? An idiot?"

"N-no, no, no!" Chat corrected at once. "I d-didn't mean to... I don't think you're an idiot! I just know that y-you're friends with Alya from the Ladyblog and I didn't... she would probably be over here in a heartbeat! I can't be seen hanging around civilians! It would put you in even more danger!"

"Even more?" Marinette repeated feeling a prickling sensation run down her spine. What kind of danger had he just unwittingly thrust upon her family?!

"Is something after you?" Sabine asked raising her hands to her lips.

"No!" Chat Noir felt himself panicking at the thought but his protest sounded more like a declaration of personal denial than anything else. "There's n-nothing! I just... was saying because of Hawk... moth... if he knew where I was... I don't know what he'd do..."

Sabine cupped his face in her hands and gave him a reassuring smile. The sight of it tried to warm his heart but made it ache instead. He gave her his best smile in return but she could tell it didn't quite reach his eyes. He was keeping something from them but she knew it was probably more than the hero was able to tell them. She released him then and walked to the front door. She turned to look back at him as he watched her go.

"Marinette, keep an eye on him," she instructed. Before her daughter could protest she continued, "make sure he has everything he needs. Your father is a little behind on orders due to all the excitement this morning so I have to be down in the kitchen helping. I _can_ count on you to take good care of him, can't I?" her thin brows raised as she tilted her head ever-so-slightly downward as if to say, "You don't have a choice, just accept it."

Marinette sighed audibly but conceded, "Yes, Maman." With a curt nod at her daughter's reply, Sabine let the door click shut behind her. Chat Noir and Marinette stayed silent for a long time after she was gone.

Unable to bear the silence anymore, Chat brought the tea up to his lips allowing himself to slurp at the still hot liquid. The sound seemed to bring Marinette back to her senses. She moved to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

"Are you hungry?" her voice sounded strained but Chat couldn't figure out why. Why was she so upset with him being here? Maybe they'd just gotten off on the wrong foot? He did scare her into falling and hitting her head on the chair...

"No thank you, the tea is perfect," he said quietly. She hummed in response but left it at that. A beat of silence fell between them but Chat broke it before it became too awkward. "I'm sorry I scared you earlier. How's your head? You aren't hurt are you?"

"Hm?" Marinette looked over at him one of her hands rubbing the back of her head. "Oh, this? I'll be fine. I'm really clumsy but I'm practically indestructible."

"I wish I was indestructible." Chat sighed as he looked down into his tea. "Maybe you should be a hero running around saving people. Indestructibility is a really awesome superpower. You could do anything!"

"Heh yeah..." Marinette forced a laugh that she hoped didn't sound too... er, forced. "I don't know that I'd make a good hero though. Indestructibility doesn't do much good unless you have something to go with it like super strength. Indestructibility is only a sub-power like invisibility or flight you need something better to go with it otherwise you're really not much of a hero."

"Well, I suppose that's true to an extent but," he took another drink of tea letting the heat warm and soothe the roughness in his voice. He wanted to say that at this point he was starting to feel like he'd give up anything for the ability to disappear, even his very Miraculous. But he didn't. "you could do a lot of good with something small. Like you could run into a burning building to save people or protect people from an explosion or bullets! You could be a hero of the people instead of.. this." he gestured to himself and sighed.

Marinette suddenly noticed how very downcast Chat Noir seemed. It wasn't just the terrible fever, it was him. He wasn't being himself. Ladybug knew that Chat Noir _loved_ being a hero. So, why the sudden change of heart? The concern must have been written all over her face because his drooping posture righted itself and he smiled at her. She came around to sit a seat away from him on the couch.

"Don't get me wrong, Princess," he said quickly trying to smooth it over as best he could. "I love being a hero but sometimes... it's almost unbearable. The secrets I have to keep, even from my closest friends. Not to mention how I'm constantly being thrown into dangerous situations, or just thrown into walls or cars or into the Seine... it can be really hard pretending that I'm totally fine when my whole body is aching and sore and I haven't slept in two days."

"Yeah," Marinette said with a sigh as if she would know what that was like. She suddenly snapped to attention and added, "I mean, yeah, of course, that would be hard! You must really hate having to keep your identity as Chat Noir from your friends and family! Of course, you would! Why wouldn't you? I know I would hate that! Not that I know what it's like to have such a big secret to keep or anything! I just think that-"

"AAACHOO!" Chat Noir sneezed so forcefully he was pretty sure he felt himself lift off the couch slightly. Marinette jumped slightly at the sound and her eyes snapped up as a flash of green light enveloped the top of his head.

"Chat Noir!" She exclaimed standing from her seat. "Your cat ears just disappeared!"

Eyes wide Chat stood up and looked around the room panic-stricken. He'd been transformed _way_ too long! Plagg was going to kill him!

"I need a place to hide!" Chat cried pulling the blanket over his head. He looked down at his feet as Marinette pulled him along. His belt had disappeared some time ago but the blanket had hidden that fact. Marinette dragged him up the stairs to her room and pushed him inside.

"Do _not_ go through my things," she stated loudly as she reached over to close the hatch that led into her room. Chat would have scoffed at the idea normally but he didn't have the time.

"Marinette, wait!" his voice was pinched. "I need cheese! Lots and _lots_ of cheese! Any cheese! All the cheese you can find!"

"Uhm... that's weird but okay," she said mostly to herself as she pulled the door closed. After the click, Chat released the transformation.

Plagg was seriously going to kill him.


	3. Chapter 3: Cheesemonger

**In which, Plagg doesn't actually get any cheese and also tries not to feel love.**

* * *

The transformation fell. Leaving Adrien standing shrinking in on himself in Marinette's room as he prepared for Plagg's tiny fury. Several seconds passed before Adrien dared open his eyes to peek around the room. The tiny kwami was not floating around anywhere in the room. Growing concerned at Plagg's silence Adrien looked around more closely. A tiny black mound on the otherwise spotless floor seemed oddly familiar. Adrien crouched down to inspect it further.

"Plagg?" he said tentatively when the kwami didn't move. He reached towards the small magical creature, gently stroking the side of his face. Plagg didn't respond. "P-Plagg?!" concern grew exponentially into a combination of terror and utter dread that he'd killed his kwami. "Plagg! Wake up! No, no, no! Plagg you have to open your eyes! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Adrien lifted Plagg from the ground, cupping him in his hands. His voice pitched as his anxiety grew. His elevated emotions only worsening his fever symptoms. "This is all my fault! I'm such an idiot! If I wasn't being so stupid this never would have happened! Please, Plagg, wake up!"

"Will you please," came an exasperated moan cutting off Adrien's initial sob which turned into a gasp that got caught in his throat making him cough instead. "shut up."

Plagg cracked open one eye and glanced sideways up at Adrien. He had been pushed to his limits with this one. Normally he would be chewing Adrien out for forcing the transformation to hold for so long but Plagg simply didn't have the strength to do so. He was just as sick as his chosen if not more-so. Not to mention he knew that Adrien was not in the right state of mind to be on the receiving end of a verbal lashing right now. The poor kid was in a pretty bad way at the moment.

Plagg had learned to distance himself from his chosen eons ago but this was more than even he could bear. His little, disheveled heart broke for the kid, something akin to sympathy begging at his apathetic spirit.

"Oh, Plagg!" Adrien suddenly noticed his heart rate was elevated and his breathing was shallow. It was making him dizzy. Tears clung to his lashes as he shook his head to clear them away. It didn't work but succeeded in making him feel even more lightheaded. "I-I thought you were... I thought I... I'm just so sorry."

"You can't get rid of me that easily," Plagg offered quietly with a short sigh. When Plagg felt the foreign sting of tears behind his eyes he blinked them away and turned his face into Adrien's palm. Was he growing soft in his old age? "idiot."

Plagg added the insult to remedy his own softness though it didn't really have the desired effect. Adrien lifted the kwami to his face and nuzzled him with his cheek. Unable to ward off the onslaught of affection Plagg simply accepted it. He sighed audibly deciding to deal with the bubble of warmth in his chest that only grew in response to the closeness with relative disinterest.

"I'm sorry..." Adrien repeated his voice growing weaker as he failed to get his breathing under control. The room was spinning too fast. "I'm sorry, Plagg. I'm so..."

"Uh, k-kid?!" Plagg croaked as Adrien teetered. His arms went limp and Plagg fell to the ground only just managing to dive out of the way to keep himself from being crushed beneath the unconscious boy. Plagg looked back a little annoyed that Adrien had worked himself up so much when he was already in such a poor state.

"Plagg?!" Tikki whispered, rushing to Adrien's side after he fell. "Plagg, are you okay?!" Plagg moaned from the floor next to Adrien's prone body but didn't offer anything else in reply. Tikki rushed over and knelt down next to her friend. It was obvious to her that he was in just as bad condition as Adrien was. "Plagg... don't worry. We're going to take good care of you... both of you."

Tikki stroked Plagg's cheek with her paw. She wanted answers but that would have to wait, all that mattered in at the moment was getting Plagg and Adrien feeling better.

oOo

Marinette closed the door to her bedroom. She felt uneasy about leaving Chat Noir in her room unattended but it really couldn't be helped. Pulling open the fridge she began her search for... cheese.

' _That's a really odd request...'_ she mused as she moved a head of lettuce to one side. ' _Is that what his kwami eats? Hm, he did ask for Camembert when he was about to de-transform at the Mayor's hotel that time with Mr. Pigeon... I guess I lucked out with Tikki. I don't know how I'd explain a sudden desire for Camembert to my parents.'_

"You've got to be kidding me!" Marinette grumbled after having removed half the contents of the fridge. "We don't have _any_ cheese! None!"

"Then we have to go get some as soon as possible!" Tikki said from beside her startling Marinette. She looked around hurriedly as if waiting for her parents – or worse, Chat Noir – to pop in and see the kwami.

"T-Tikki! What are you doing?! Hide!" Marinette said in a harsh whisper glancing back at her bedroom door.

"Marinette, Chat Noir is unconscious and Plagg needs that cheese as soon as possible!" Tikki explained, her little arms waving in her excitement. "We have to go to the store right now!"

"But Tikki!" Marinette said looking down at her clothes. She was still in her pajamas and fuzzy pink slippers. "I can't go out like this and Chat Noir is in my room de-transformed! I can't go in there!"

"Hm..." Tikki rubbed her little chin in thought. "I'll be right back." she zoomed up through the ceiling and into Marinette's room.

Marinette stood staring at the spot on the ceiling where Tikki had disappeared. There were shuffling sounds coming from the room above. After a couple minutes Tikki reappeared and waved Marinette up the stairs.

"Tikki? What did you do?" she asked as she moved up the steps, pausing at the hatch.

"He's still unconscious so I put a blanket over him. His identity is safe for now." Tikki looked a little winded. A blanket was a heavy thing for such a small kwami to carry.

"Alright, if you say so." Marinette pushed through the door slowly, peeking around the room before entering. In the middle of the floor was a large bundle draped in a blanket that could only be Chat Noir. She sneaked in as quietly as she could and grabbed her winter clothes from the closet.

Chat's breathing sounded so labored from beneath the covers. Marinette sighed and looked at Tikki. She felt something in her grow soft for the sick alley cat and she set her things down on her workbench. Grabbing a pillow from her chaise lounge she knelt down next to Chat Noir. It wasn't much but it was all she could do for now. Reaching beneath the blanket she lifted his head carefully and slid the pillow underneath. At least this way his face wasn't smashed into her floor.

"M-maman..." he mumbled causing her to freeze. His voice was hardly intelligible as the words broke through from the depth of his slumbering mind, slurred and murmuring. "please come... home..."

Marinette wondered for a wild second about Chat Noir's home life. She'd always just assumed that he had a family, just like her and that he was happy, just like her. Ignorance was bliss. A tiny crack was forming in her image of him, spurred by the words that fell from his tongue and torpid mind. Maybe he didn't have a loving family to go home to... Maybe he _wasn't_ happy?

"Don't worry Chat," her voice just above a breath, her hand resting on his shoulder for a brief moment. "you're going to be fine."

She collected her things from her desk, sparing him one last glance before she closed the door to her room. For the first time since finding him on her couch, she wondered,

 _Why_ was _Chat Noir out in the snow last night?_

She dressed quickly and headed down the stairs. It took a little convincing but she finally got her mother to understand that she was running an errand for Chat Noir and not just skipping out. Though her mother seemed perplexed as to why he would need cheese, Marinette assured her it was urgently necessary.

Marinette stared at the store shelves. Why were there so many different kinds of cheese? And where on earth was the Camembert?

"Oh, there it is!" Marinette picked up the circular carton that cased the cheese wheel. Marinette's jaw dropped at the price of the container. "What?! How in the world does Chat Noir keep his kwami fed?!" Marinette said to her purse. Tikki poked her head out of the clasp a questioning look in her eyes. "Why is something so smelly so expensive?!" Tikki shrugged. "How much should I get? Is one enough?"

"You should get as much as you can afford," Tikki offered. "I know it's a lot of money but Plagg is going to need all the cheese he can get his hands on. He's not doing well..." The sadness in Tikki's eyes made Marinette rethink the validity of any argument she could conjure. It was for the greater good... she supposed.

"Chat Noir better pay me back for this," she grumbled. Picking up four cases of Camembert cheese and a few cheaper wedges of Cheddar and Swiss she headed to the checker. She had not planned on spending all of her savings... on cheese. This "Plagg" had better be grateful.

oOo

Adrien lay on the floor his face pressed against something soft that smelled nice. He didn't have the brain power to place what it smelled like exactly but it smelled good nonetheless. Although his face was quite content to remain where it was, his body was wracked with pain. Sore and swollen from the night before, his joints positively screamed at him to find somewhere more comfortable to lay down.

Adrien hesitantly pushed himself off the floor, propping himself up on his elbow. Why couldn't he see anything? There was something on his face... Where had this blanket come from? He was too out of it to really process anything. Thoughts simply echoed through his empty mind, finding no purchase. Even his body was on autopilot simply reacting to his environment without really taking his actions into consideration. With a great deal of effort, he sat up fully. The room spun as the blood rushed to and from his head. His whole body felt several times too heavy as though he were made of solid lead. He pulled at the blanket to get it off of his face.

Through the fog in his head, he saw something that looked like a bed and he crawled over to it, not trusting himself to stand or really having the energy to do so. He pulled himself up onto the chaise dragging the blanket and pillow along with him. He settled in. His face was turned to the back wall of the room and he laid on his stomach. The blanket was pulled roughly over the top of him only covering him from the knees to the shoulders. He didn't have the wherewithal to cover himself more fully... or to even realize he should be hiding his face. All he cared about was getting back to sleep.

oOo

Marinette rushed home in the snow, slipping and sliding but not falling down once. She mentally commended herself for the feat as the bakery's bell chimed at her arrival. This cheese-run better be worth the effort.

"Oh good, you're back!" her mother said to her as she came through the door. Marinette smiled but rolled her eyes after she'd moved past her. It was like she'd expected her to just run away and not come back. She wasn't that irresponsible!

Making it up to the apartment Marinette kicked off her shoes by the front door. She paused at the hatch looking down at Tikki who urged her to open the door. Marinette knocked lightly. It was enough to alert him if he was awake but not loud enough to wake him if he were still asleep. She pressed through the door and entered the room.

A trill of panic swept through her as she noted the blond haired boy lying face-down on her chaise lounge. She froze in place, not daring to go any closer. Tikki moved to go and cover his face but dove back into Marinette's purse almost immediately. The boy on the chaise had pulled his arm up to his side to prop himself up. Marinette turned her back to him not a moment too soon as he looked over to see who had come in.

"Wha..? Mar'nette? What're you doin' my room?" Chat asked his voice groggy and almost nonexistent. She could tell he was either still asleep or his fever had gotten worse. "It's not allowed. If m'father finds you here... he's a be _so_ mad."

"Uhm... what your father doesn't know won't hurt him?" Marinette said feeling a bit strange for playing along but deciding this was better than trying to argue with someone who was quite possibly hallucinating. She kept her back to him, suddenly remembering why she'd gone up there in the first place. "I brought you the cheese you asked for. Sorry, it took so long, we didn't have any so I had to go to the store."

"Cheese? I don' know 'bout any cheese," he sounded completely confused. Marinette gripped the bag in her arms and hoped that he hadn't requested cheese in the beginning throws of hallucination. If that were the case she was going to make him pay her double. "w-wait, wait... I know a guy who knows st-things 'bout cheeeese."

Marinette gave an exasperated sigh, he was difficult enough to deal with when he wasn't fever-drunk but this was almost more than she could handle. Not to mention how worried she was that he was going to inadvertently reveal his identity to her. How could one alley cat be so troublesome?

"Plagg?" Chat said and Marinette could hear him moving around behind her. Possibly looking through his blankets. "Plagg?!" he called again his voice growing with irritation. "I don' wanna play hide and seek righ' now!"

Marinette caught a glimpse of Tikki out of the corner of her eye pointing animatedly towards the desk. She chanced a look in that direction to see a small black cat curled up on an over-sized, fluffy sweater she'd made that was waiting to be taken in. She turned her attention back to the wall opposite from Chat Noir.

"Is that Plagg over there?" she asked pointing towards her desk.

"Plagg! W-what're you doin' out?" the boy called from across the room. The kwami didn't respond. "You can't be seen... If father cashes you, he takes you away." his voice was growing weaker and he sounded as though he were falling back to sleep. "takes 'verything away... tried n' take m'ring. Thaz why we ran away..." he yawned and rolled over but Marinette heard every mumbled word. "Cuz he's a bad guy."

Marinette stood with her arms wrapped around the cheese in total shock. Her thoughts racing through her mind as she gaped at the wall in front of her, none of them slowing down enough for her to grasp them. His words could mean so many things. Should she take them at face value? Is there a deeper meaning? Was this all just some crazy fever dream and none of it meant anything at all?

 _Was this the reason he was out in the snow?_


	4. Chapter 4: The Encore

**In which Plagg finally gets his cheese.**

* * *

"Y-your father tried to take away your r-ring?" Marinette blurted after several seconds of staring dumbfounded at her floor. Chat Noir hummed in affirmation but offered her no real reply. "W-why would he do that?! You're Chat Noir! This city needs you! Ladybug needs you!"

Chat Noir's labored breathing was the only sound in the room. He'd fallen asleep.

Marinette couldn't process why anyone would want to prevent Ladybug and Chat Noir from saving Paris. Well, aside from Hawkmoth but there was no way on earth Chat Noir's luck was _that_ bad. Not to mention she couldn't exactly imagine the supervillain being a "father". A tug at her sleeve several seconds later drew her attention to Tikki. The pinkish sprite had already zoomed over and covered Chat's face with the blanket and was now pressing Marinette to tend to Plagg.

She glanced at the cheese that she was practically crushing in her arms. Oh right! She turned back to the room. Chat's arm was hanging out from under the covers, his fingertips nearly brushing the floor. A shimmer of light glinting off his metallic ring in the glow of the late afternoon sun that shined through her window.

Placing the paper sack on the desk she peeled open the first box and set it next to the little black cat kwami. He didn't move. Tikki nestled in next to Plagg and stroked the side of his face so tenderly that Marinette suddenly felt as though she were observing a pair of lovers. She blushed slightly at the thought.

"Plagg," Tikki said gently lifting him to rest propped up against her tiny chest. "are you going to be able to eat? We brought you some cheese."

His large chartreuse eyes cracked open just enough to take in his surroundings, his glowing gaze landing on the box of Camembert. He lifted his tiny arm but he couldn't reach. It was so close and yet so far. Taking his melodramatic arm flop as her queue, Marinette lifted a wedge from the container and set it in his tiny paws. If Adrien had been watching he would have commented on how this was the slowest he'd ever seen Plagg consume a piece of Camembert.

He nibbled at the cheese, seeming not to have enough energy to chew a full bite. After the first few nibbles, he seemed to become a bit more invigorated, eating faster and in bigger bites. Once the wedge was gone he reached out to the carton again and Marinette placed another wedge in his lap. This repeated several times until the entire carton of Camembert had been exhausted.

Plagg leaned back against Tikki with a heavy sigh, his tiny belly seemingly a black hole. It was inconceivable that all that cheese could fit into his tiny stomach... He'd probably just eaten twice his own body weight! Still weak but at least feeling a little bit better for the food, Plagg rubbed his stomach and looked up at Marinette for the first time.

"You probably want answers," he said before she could think of anything to say. She nodded, watching the tiny cat's expression furrow. "I can't tell you everything but I can tell you that he didn't end up here by accident." Plagg turned his gaze over to the sleeping boy and his expression darkened. Marinette took a seat in her computer chair and leaned in close despite the stinky cheese smell.

"He..." Plagg paused and rubbed the back of his neck as he searched for the words that weren't so easy to find. "Well, you see. He had a sort of... falling out... with his father last night and so he kinda, sorta ran away from home. He was in one of his moods, laying on a rooftop and being all sulky!" Plagg was becoming visibly agitated at the memory pointing at the boy under the blanket and waving his little arms. "That stupid kid kept on thinking that he was better off dead! He was going to let himself die up there but I couldn't let that happen! So I made him remember that Ladybug would be the only person who would find him up there! And so the idiot decided that throwing himself in a dumpster was a better idea!" Plagg's voice was rising with every sentence. His worried eyes becoming moist as he fought to stay angry.

"So I used that! I knew I had to get him to you somehow, so every time he found a dumpster I kept talking him out of it and coming up with excuses!" Plagg couldn't stop the tears that rolled down his cheeks. "He was only half conscious when he was walking down your back alley, I kept his stupid legs moving! I'm the one who brought him here! That stupid kid's legs were so numb I accidentally made him trip and hit his head instead of jump up onto your roof like I intended! I tried to get him here, I thought I'd failed! I thought I'd lost him!" Tikki wrapped her arms around Plagg and pulled him into a tight hug, rocking him ever-so-slightly in a comforting fashion. At some point, Marinette had covered her gaping mouth with her hands and had formed tears of her own. After several seconds of trying to compose himself, his little voice cracked and he released a sob into Tikki's shoulder. "I... I held onto the t-transformation as long as I c-could..."

"Ssh, you did so well, Plagg," Tikki hummed rubbing his back as she held him. "You got him here. You saved him. Everything's going to be okay now, you'll see."

"But that's just it..." Plagg said regaining a dark composure as he looked back at Chat Noir. His eyes were distant. He shook his head solemnly. "I don't know that he will be." he raised a paw to silence them before they could question him further. "I can't tell you why... that's his secret to tell, not mine."

Plagg curled up on the sweater, facing away from both Tikki and Marinette. His despair was almost tangible as it permeated the room around him. It was obvious that he wanted to be left alone.

Marinette looked back at Chat Noir as she left the room, vaguely wondering what had truly happened to the boy beneath the blanket.

oOo

It felt like he was in a boat gently rocking from side to side. The subtle motion lulled him from his sleep. He reached up to touch whatever was pressing on his shoulder. Slender fingers attached to a small but strong hand. He gripped it gently and pulled it to him when the hand returned the embrace, pressing it to his chest.

"Yer hands're so small M'Lady..." he sighed into his pillow not opening his eyes.

"Chat Noir," he heard her voice beckoning to him. The sound making the corner of his mouth pull upwards into a tiny smile, he loved the sound of her voice. "Chat Noir, you need to take this medicine. Your fever is still pretty bad."

"M'Lady," he breathed again pulling her hand up and kissing it. "are you implyin' that I'm hot?"

"Chat..." her usual rebuff in place, his grin widened. "would you please look at me?"

"It would be my _purr-_ leasure." he cooed and opened his eyes.

The dim light of her desk lamp cast its glow on half her face as she looked down at him. That wasn't who he thought it was. Marinette stood next to him her left hand still trapped in his and her right hand holding a small cup of something reddish in color. He released her fingers feeling his face heat up in embarrassment.

"I'm... I didn't-" he started but she rolled her eyes. He looked down suddenly part of himself panicking that she could see him. His eyes fell on a black gloved hand. When had he transformed?

"Your little friend Plagg said that he had enough strength keep you transformed," Placing her free hand on his back she helped support him as she placed the little cup of medicine to his lips. He swallowed the thick, sticky, bittersweet liquid. He scrunched his nose in distaste. "but he told me to tell you that he's too weak to do anything else and that your usual powers probably won't work right now."

Chat Noir nodded feeling the panic subside as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Also, I'm sorry to disappoint you." Marinette sighed moving over to her desk and retrieving a bottle of water. She unscrewed the cap and handed it to Chat. He took it gratefully and drank a third of the bottle in an attempt to wash the taste away. "I can only guess you were hoping for Ladybug just now."

"I'm sorry about that..." his voice cracked. Marinette gave a small laugh as she reached down next to the chaise and picked up a couple pillows. He sat up just enough for her to place them behind him. "I'm not feeling too well and being around her always makes me feel better. I guess I kinda wish she was here right now." he stared at the water bottle in his hands, his eyes misting over. He looked away from her and rubbed his face. He hated how easy it was to be emotional when he was sick. Marinette's brow furrowed as he turned back to her and smiled. "But you are doing a really great job taking care of me and Plagg. We really appreciate everything you're doing for us. I'm sorry if he's eaten all your family's cheese."

"Well, my parents didn't have any cheese so I had to go to the store." Marinette eyed him, noting the slightly worried expression on his face.

"How much?" he asked his tone a bit hollow. He knew very well how much Plagg could consume.

"Just over sixty euro." Chat sighed in relief making Marinette tilt her head. Was that not a substantial amount of money to spend on cheese? The idea of this irked her slightly. "That was all of my savings... I was going to use that money to buy enough material to make myself a dress for spring."

"S-sorry, it's just, I know how much you could have spent on Plagg... he's got a really big appetite." Chat bit his tongue, he hadn't meant to belittle her. It really wasn't that much money to him but she didn't have a famous fashion designer for a father... _a supervillain father_. He added bitterly. His expression soured and he chewed his lip in irritation. "I'll pay you back, I promise."

"You keep doing that..." Marinette said quietly drawing attention to his downcast attitude. She placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned his face away from her, deciding that the sympathy in her eyes was more than he could currently bear.

"Your pillows smell nice," he said jarring Marinette slightly at the sudden topic change. She sighed and drew her hand back. Chat found himself sad at its loss and longing for it to rest on him again. Its presence had been a small comfort but now it was gone.

"You don't have to tell me what's going on with you Chat," Marinette finally broke the silence her voice quiet but steady, self-assured. The sound hinting at an underlying confidence that he'd never witnessed as Adrien. "but I'm here to listen if you need me. Your secrets are safe with me."

He clenched his eyes and teeth as he fought back his sobs as tears trailed from his eyes and into the pillow. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to release the transformation and spill all of his secrets to this good, kind, and caring girl; his friend. His chest heaved as Marinette's hand found his shoulder once again.

Before he could stop himself he reached back and pulled Marinette to him, wrapping her up in his shaking arms. He sobbed quietly into her shoulder. He knew he shouldn't be acting like this. He was a hero, he had to keep up appearances as best he could. He had to be above reproach. But things were different with Marinette. She made him feel safe to just be himself, even more so than Ladybug who always seemed to put him off when he got too close.

There, in the dark of the late winter evening in Marinette's room, he didn't have to be Chat Noir. He could be the boy that he truly was. Desperate and hurting, a brokenhearted mess, the boy beneath the mask.

Shocked at being suddenly pulled from her seat, Marinette took a moment before returning his embrace. He clung to her like a needy child sobbing into her shoulder. She rubbed his back and rocked him slightly from side to side, mirroring what Tikki had done for Plagg only a few hours ago. The rocking motion, along with her hands that rubbed his back and stroked his hair, soothed him and he relaxed against her. After a minute his sobbing subsided and he began to purr.

"I'm sorry." his voice caught in his throat making him speak just above a whisper. "I know this probably doesn't make any sense at all... I wish I could tell you everything... I really do but..."

"I understand," Marinette offered still stroking his hair, though the rocking had stopped. "I figured that there was something going on that you couldn't tell me. I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you, alright?"

The sweetness of her smile made his chest feel warm... or was that the medicine kicking in? Either way, he felt as though he could stay there with her forever.

"Y-yeah... thank you, Marinette... I really appreciate it." he sniffed and pulled away to cough into his elbow. He immediately regretted pulling away. As soon as he let go she stood up and moved back over to her desk. His hands reached for her as she got up but he reined them in quickly. Chat mentally reprimanded himself, he couldn't expect her to sit here and cradle him all night long. He wasn't a baby, he didn't need her to hold him... but that didn't really stop him from wanting her to do so.

Marinette's father came in a minute later to check on him. The large man kneeling down next to the bed as Chat Noir ate more of the soup Sabine had made him.

"You gave me quite the scare this morning," Tom laughed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck, his worry was apparent in his body language though he tried not to show it. "The last thing I expected to see out my back door was Chat Noir covered in snow and unconscious with a nasty gash on-"

"Papa!" Marinette scolded rolling her eyes.

"Oh, sorry," he jumped at the reprimand but accepted it, knowing he'd perhaps been rambling in the wrong direction. Chat loved watching their family dynamic.

"It's alright," Chat Noir said with a small smile. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I never should have troubled your family like this. I shou-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Tom waved his hand dismissively at Chat's apology. "quite the contrary. We are more than happy to help! If you ever find yourself in need, you come straight here! The Dupain-Cheng's are here for you, all of us! Even Marinette and she's a bit of a tough _cookie_."

" _Papa_..." Marinette groaned. His baking puns were just as bad as Chat's cat puns. But the joke made Chat smile. He found himself liking this family more and more.

" _Doughnut_ worry Marinette, I won't make any more jokes." Tom winked at Chat who caught his laugh just in the nick of time. Marinette glared at her father, practically challenging him to continue. "What? That one was an accident! At _yeast_ , I think it was..." Chat started coughing as the strain of holding in his laughter was too much for his throat to handle. Tom tapped his chin as though he were actually trying to figure out if it had truly been an accident. Marinette's unconvinced expression was just too priceless. She rolled her eyes and scoffed at her father's puns. "Don't you s- _tart_ that with me, young lady. Even if it wasn't an accident I've got Chat Noir eating from the _palmier_ of my hand."

Chat Noir gave up trying to hold back and just let himself laugh, though his throat was so hoarse that he sounded more like he was wheezing. Tom did a little bow and Chat clapped for him calling for an encore. Tom laughed and rubbed the back of his neck as he started to feel the heat of his daughter's ire bearing down upon him.

"No, no, I'll leave you alone now Marinette, I promise." Tom waved off the encore as he made his way out of the room. "The _cat_ -mosphere in here is a little too intense for me."

Tom scuttled out of the room laughing at Marinette's expense as she covered her face and moaned. The cat pun sent Chat Noir into another roll of laughter that brought tears to his eyes and made his stomach hurt.

"I'll be here all week!" Tom called as he closed the hatch.

Chat Noir _really_ liked this family.


	5. Chapter 5: The Whole 'Kitten' Caboodle

**In which, Chat Noir learns that gambling is bad.**

* * *

Chat Noir found it hard to stay asleep that night. After napping most of the day his sleep cycle was thoroughly messed up. It also didn't help that being transformed made him a bit more nocturnal. He lay on the chaise staring up at the ceiling of Marinette's room. He felt a bit odd staying in a girls room but her parents insisted that he'd be much more comfortable on the lounger than the couch. Tom had warned him against any "funny" business, making Chat laugh again, but he took him seriously despite the way Tom waggled his eyebrows as he said it.

Marinette had to be the luckiest girl in the world. Her family was so loving and wonderful and she had good friends at school. She was talented and passionate and had the full support of her loved ones in everything she did. Could she get any luckier? His dopey, medicated grin went unnoticed by the girl sleeping in the loft across the room but he smiled at her all the same.

Of all the homes in Paris that he could have wandered into, he was glad he'd found the Dupain-Cheng's. Or perhaps he should say, that they found him? His smile fell abruptly as a thought crossed his mind.

 _I can't stay here..._

If Hawkmoth found out where he was... well, he wasn't sure what he would do actually... but it probably wouldn't be anything good. He had no real desire to find out either. Chat Noir found himself staring resolutely in Marinette's direction, more determined than ever to keep her and her family safe. Nodding to himself in agreement with that notion. He decided then he would always do whatever he could to protect these wonderful people.

Even if that meant never coming back here again...

The thought of leaving this place of warmth and comfort and _love_... it was unthinkable but Chat knew that it had to be done. He would endanger anyone that he stayed with, not only as Chat Noir but also as Adrien. He felt a weight pressing against his chest making it hard to breathe. There was nowhere he could run. He would never be safe, his only choice was to keep on moving. Once his fever was better he would leave and he wouldn't come back...

Morning came and with it, more medicine. He lolled his tongue in his mouth at the stickiness it left behind. His nice hot tea helped wash it down but made his mouth taste strange at first. He loved all of the attention he was getting from Madame Cheng. She was treating him like he was her own child, it felt wonderful to have a mother figure around again.

He spent most of the day sitting bundled up in Marinette's room, getting his butt handed to him in Ultra Mecha Strike III and rolling around in her computer chair in a medicated tizzy. Marinette would tease him about this and that and scoff at his puns offering her own quips in riposte. He never knew that she could be so downright feisty! Well, he did but she'd never been like that towards Adrien so he'd never really given it much notice until now.

"I think you need to practice more," Marinette said after destroying him at UMS III for the hundredth time. Chat let his head fall back in his seat and he threw his arms up in defeat. "it's a good thing you didn't bet anything this time. I'm not sure how many more of your future ' _kittens_ ' I want to own."

"Ugh!" he cried out dramatically. His arm falling over his face, he groaned into the crook his elbow. "You'll have to take I.O.U.s for the lives of my first, second, and fourth born kids... but I'm gonna come back after I've had more practice and win back my children."

"Not likely," Marinette admonished, crossing her arms rebelliously over her chest. "to be honest, you'll probably end up signing over the life of your third child to me too. I'll probably end up with the whole litter!" she simpered, a giggle passing over her lips.

"I'll never surrender my third! Chat Noir Junior is my favorite!" Chat huffed in mock defiance as he stomped over to the chaise and plopped down. Marinette rolled her eyes obviously and shook her head at the thought of him naming one of his children something so ridiculous. "I swear, woman! If you were the Devil, you'd own my very soul! You have no mercy for a guy doped up on meds! They're messing with my hand-eye coordination! This is totally unfair! I demand you surrender your rights to my kittens!"

"Oh, yeah," Marinette said too sarcastically. Chat glared at her. "I'm sure _that's_ the _only_ reason you didn't win. But seriously, Chat Noir, what kind of father gambles with his children's lives?"

Chat seemed to deflate at that comment. Marinette bit her tongue. What if _his_ father was like that? She didn't know what had really happened between them. Could it have been something similar to this? She felt bad. She hadn't meant to say something so careless but she didn't know how to apologize either.

"No you're right," he sighed after a few awkward seconds rubbing the back of his head. A smile found its way back to his face as he spoke. "I'll admit it though... I drank too much tea and was distracted by how badly I had to pee during that last match."

"Seriously?" Marinette's expression showed how very unamused she was by that statement. Though, she was glad to see him break through her thoughtless comment.

"Yeah, actually," he said standing from the chaise with a cough. He stretched but it made him feel dizzy and his legs shook slightly under his weight. "I'm gonna go to the restroom. I think Plagg needs a break anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, cheese is in the fridge," Marinette waved him off as she turned off her computer and cleared her workbench. "you sore loser."

"Hey now," he protested pulling the blanket that was still around him up to his ears. "if I'm a sore loser than that makes you a sore winner! You're so sensitive if I don't tell you how absolutely wonderful you are when you win!"

"Oh, Chaton," Marinette said in a singsong voice as she turned back to face him, doing a twirl as she went. Her eyes narrowed, a smug look on her face. "I didn't realize you thought I was ' _absolutely wonderful_ '!"

"Well, you absolutely are, Princess." he grinned down at her, she was so... cute. He saw the slight pink rise in her cheeks and realized he'd leaned in a bit too close to her when he'd said that. Chat leaned back feeling the heat rising from beneath his collar. He turned on heel and walked stiffly from the room mumbling something about the toilet.

Adrien washed his hands and pulled the blanket over his head before making his way into the living room. He knew the layout of their house enough that he could feel his way around without running into walls or trip over things. He found the fridge and opened it. He knew Tom and Sabine were down in the bakery and Marinette could be heard going through boxes upstairs. Pulling the blanket up just enough to see what he was doing, he collected the cheese and headed back up to the chaise to lay down. All this moving had him feeling dizzy again.

Plagg rested on his designated fluffy sweater-bed with his cheese and Adrien found the chaise, albeit a little clumsily as he ended up tripping on the end of the blanket that was covering him. He heard Marinette giggle as he righted himself. He was glad she couldn't see the blush that reddened his cheeks.

He laid down with a deep sigh and quiet fell over the room. These were the moments he liked the least. The moments where there was nothing to do, nothing to say, nothing to distract him from his reality. Adrien's negative thoughts and anxious worry had him tossing and turning, tapping his fingers on the arm of the lounger, and rocking his feet back and forth.

"Chat Noir..." Marinette had tried to ignore it but it was really hard to concentrate when someone was making constant, changing noises.

"I'm sorry," he moaned giving a heavy sigh and flopping his arms out to either side of the chaise.

"Why are you so anxious?" she said trying to pin the hem of the long-sleeve shirt she was working on.

"I can't tell you..." he said quietly flopping his arms again for good measure.

"Okay then, looks like you're forcing me to try and guess," he could hear the mild humorous tone in her voice. This peaked his curiosity.

"Go ahead but even if you do guess right, I won't tell you..." he chided. "not that you'll ever actually guess what it is, but I'm _purr_ fectly fine with that."

"Oh ye of little faith," Marinette chimed making Adrien smile from beneath the blanket. "Hm, let's see... you're anxious, which could imply many different things..." she hummed to herself in thought. "Alright, preliminary questions!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Adrien protested in a huff. "I didn't say that you could ask questions!"

"You also didn't say that I couldn't!" she giggled mischievously.

"Fine, but only yes-or-questions," he conceded, he couldn't say no to her when she giggled like that. "and you only get three!"

"Okay fine, let's start with something easy," she thought for a moment. "Are you afraid and/or upset about something?"

"Yes," he said bluntly crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't like how very direct that question was.

"Alright," another pause. "Does it have to do with a girl?"

"Not even remotely," he said with a sigh and a shake of his head. He was glad that her questions might not reveal much of anything after all.

"Hm, that rules out anything to do with Ladybug..." she said more to herself than anything. His eyes grew wide. Maybe that question really wasn't as off the wall as he thought it was. Marinette was much more calculating than he gave her credit for. He wasn't sure he liked it. "So far, I've concluded that you're afraid and/or upset about something that doesn't have to do with Ladybug or any other girl for that matter. So my last question..." another beat of silence. Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat. "Do you like mushrooms on your pizza?"

Adrien let out the breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. How very anticlimactic that had been. Several seconds of silence passed before Marinette prompted him again.

"Well? I'm still waiting for your answer." she pressed her tone sounding very serious but even without looking he knew that she had a mischievous twinkle in her eye. It was obvious to him that she was doing this to get his mind off things and it warmed his heart.

"Well, _excuse_ me, Princess!" he replied kicking his feet slightly as he did so, implying distress over such a difficult quandary. "That's not exactly a yes-or-question!"

"Of course it is!" she argued sounding rather flustered. "Either you like mushrooms on your pizza or you don't! It's really not that difficult!"

"Objection!" Adrien cried, his voice cracking a bit as he threw his arm out from under the blanket and pointed at her. "I completely disagree with that! I submit that one can like mushrooms on _certain_ _kinds_ of pizza but not on others!" he heard Marinette hum in thought over this. He continued. "For instance! I like mushrooms on a pizza with a variety of veggies on it. However, I would not find something, such as a mushroom pizza, appetizing."

"I see your point," Marinette said thoughtfully before adding, "but I have to disagree with you. Mushrooms aren't good on anything."

"Well..." Adrien chuckled lightly. "I guess, I wouldn't exactly be disappointed if they were absent from my pizza."

"See?!" Marinette bounced in her chair. Adrien laughed again. "So your answer is no! If it isn't something you'd really miss having on your pizza then the answer is no!"

"As deep and emotional as this conversation about pizza is," Plagg sighed from where he lay on the seat of the spare computer chair. "you two are making it really hard to enjoy my cheese."

"You do know that they make cheese pizza, right?" Marinette teased him before Adrien could think of something clever to say.

"Been there done that," Plagg lilted, waving his paw in dismissal. "I'd rather have more _cheese_ and less _pizza._ "

"Is that why you ate like half my pizza a while back?" Adrien teased him but Plagg only shrugged – which Adrien couldn't actually see – at the jab. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

Marinette giggled at the exchange. Plagg was a bit of a handful but then again, so was Chat Noir. They suited each other well, just like her and Tikki.

By the end of the day, Chat's fever was going down. Marinette's mother pulled the thermometer from his mouth and checked his temperature. It had gone down to thirty-seven point four degrees Celsius from the thirty-eight degrees it had been the night before. Everyone seemed happy and relieved that he was getting better and he smiled and played along but he felt more like crying than smiling.

He didn't want to leave this place.

Chat was sure that if he dared to ask, they would allow him to stay with them forever but he couldn't do that. They were too kind to selfishly put them in harm's way. Tom and Sabine said goodnight to the two teens and went back down the steps, the hatch clicking shut behind them.

Marinette had brought up some chamomile tea earlier to help Chat fall asleep and soothe his still rather sore throat. She watched as he swirled the contents of the cup gently. He was staring at his reflection as it rippled across its surface. There is was again, the melancholy that always seemed to find him in the quiet moments. She sighed, to draw his attention, placing her hands on her hips.

"What am I going to do with you, Chat Noir?" she shook her head as she sidled up to where he sat on the chaise. He watched her as she sat on the edge facing him.

Chat Noir tilted his head in question but didn't say anything. She seemed like she might be joking but at the same time, she seemed a bit sad. He couldn't figure out what she was on about so he remained silent.

"I can only assume that you're probably wanting to leave as soon as you're feeling better," she said a little smile on her lips but it didn't reach her eyes. His cat ears flattened back. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"I can't stay here forever," he breathed the words. They were so much harder to say out loud than thought they'd be, and he knew they would be difficult, to begin with. "I really wish I could stay here. Your family is so wonderful..."

"Don't be angry with Plagg," Marinette started slowly, making Chat's spine stiffen in agitation. He wasn't currently angry with Plagg... Should he be? "he was so upset yesterday when I first brought him cheese that he sorta gushed a little bit. He told me that you... ran away from home." she saw Chat's grip tighten around his teacup nearly to the point of cracking it. She placed her hand on his arm making him relax but only slightly. He turned his face away from her. "I haven't told anyone else, not even my parents. I figured you probably didn't even want me to know but Plagg was so distraught he couldn't hold it in. He was so worried about you he was crying."

"It wasn't his place to tell you that." Chat growled through clenched teeth. Her grip on his forearm tightened and he looked back at her. The feeling of hurt and betrayal alighted a fire in his eyes.

"You're right, it wasn't his place," she agreed with him. The sea in her eyes flooded his own as he held her gaze, her waters dousing the flames within him. No one had ever been able to calm him like that before... except perhaps Ladybug but he couldn't name an instance off the top of his head. Marinette really was something special. Why hadn't he noticed her before?

"I just wanted to make sure that you know... if you ever need someone to talk to," she pointed up at the skylight that lead to her balcony. "you can always stop by... or if you just need food," she added with a wink. "I can't imagine cheese will be easy to come by if you're planning on going it alone." Chat fought a grin. "Of if you ever want to have your butt kicked at Ultra Mecha Strike again. I'll accept challenges anytime, anywhere. Especially since I'm pretty sure I could beat you in my sleep."

"You're on, I still have to win back my future children," he grinned now shaking his head in disbelief. Her declaration was somewhat ridiculous, although, her confidence in her gaming skills wasn't exactly unfounded. He looked back down at his tea and sighed, the smile slipping from his lips. "Thank you, Marinette, for everything."

"You say that like I'm not going to see you when I wake up..." she said quietly. He didn't respond. Instead, he downed the rest of his tea and set the cup on the seat next to Plagg's fluffy sweater.

Marinette placed her hands on his shoulders, making him look up at her. There it was, that determined sparkle in her eyes but this time it was lessened by the presence of her tears. Chat sat up straighter, barely able to wonder why she was crying before she pulled him into a hug.

Chat Noir returned the gesture immediately, always happy to be hugged by someone he cared about, who cared about him. He didn't get this very often. He breathed deeply, taking in the scent of her fabric softener as his face buried in her shoulder. He began purring and she giggled. The sound made him smile into her shirt and pull her closer.

"You really are just a silly kitty," she said it more to herself than anything but the sentiment made him purr louder and nuzzle into her neck. She giggled again and began stroking his hair.

He was really going to miss her.


	6. Chapter 6: The Lost Boy

**In which, Chat Noir is an unlucky cinnamon roll and LB is perhaps too concerned about Adrien.**

* * *

Marinette opened her eyes as her morning alarm rang out. She hadn't been asleep but she didn't feel like getting up either. Reaching out she turned off the alarm on her phone and sighed.

Chat Noir had tried to sneak out without waking her but she'd woken up when he couldn't resist placing a kiss on her forehead. She'd pulled him in for another hug realizing that he really was leaving. She could sense how desperate and nervous he felt as he hugged her back. His voice was thick as though he were trying to keep from crying as he bade her farewell. He had tucked her back in before disappearing through her skylight and into the darkness of the winter morning.

She was relieved that he was feeling better but she wasn't sure exactly how she felt about him leaving. _Maybe he should have stayed just one more day?_ She thought to herself but then shook her head. No, he was right to leave when he did. He _was_ sort of putting her family in danger after all...

Marinette groaned and threw off her blankets. She had just finished getting dressed when she noticed something on her workbench. She lifted the paper flower that had been folded and placed on top of a note and inspected it. The flower was a little crumpled as it had been folded in the dark but it was still beautifully done. Marinette set it aside and picked up the note.

 _"_ My Dearest Marinette,

I can never thank you and your wonderful parents enough for everything that

you've all done for me. I am truly, deeply indebted to you all for showing me such

kindness and welcoming me into your home.

I hope that someday I'll get to see you again. You've been a much-needed friend

for me when I needed one most. Now, I need to figure things out for myself. But rest

assured, I'll never forget what your family did for me, Princess.

No matter what my future holds.

Your Favorite Alley Cat,

 _Chat Noir "_

Marinette let out a small sad sigh. Normally she would have been rather eager to get him out of her house but she found herself missing him already. Perhaps it was because of the knowledge that he didn't really have anywhere to go? She shook her head and gave a dark chuckle as she thought, _He really is a stray now._

Her parents had received a letter from the hero too apparently. Marinette was glad that she didn't have to explain to her parents why Chat Noir was suddenly missing. She didn't really want to think about it at the moment. Instead, she finished her breakfast in silence and headed out for school.

She was quite certain that her day would be a sad one but when Adrien didn't show up to school, it made her day even worse. Of all the days she needed the distraction, this was it and he was nowhere to be found. Surely her day couldn't get much worse than this.

That was until Chloe started bawling in the middle of class. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared, even the teacher.

"Chloe, what's wrong?!" Mrs. Bustier yelled over Chloe's incessant wailing. The blond girl held up her phone that she'd been playing with under her desk. A news ad had popped up on her preferred social media page. It read in bold black and red words around a picture of none other than Adrien Agreste.

" **TEEN MODEL ADRIEN AGRESTE: MISSING!"**

oOo

Chat Noir set up camp in the attic above a vacant apartment flat. It was the perfect place to hide out. Because of his abilities as Chat Noir, he was able to get into the attic that was otherwise inaccessible. The building wasn't run down by any means, it wasn't an abandoned building, so the place was fairly well insulated from the harsh winter outside. Though it was still a bit cold, the heat of the lived-in apartments and the burning chimneys around his hideout warmed the space enough to make it tolerable.

With a grunt of effort, he set the rather heavy duffel bag on the ground and began sorting through it. To be honest, he hadn't exactly packed anything before leaving his father's house. He had been in something of a hurry. So last night when Marinette pulled her emergency kit from the depths of her closet and insisted that he take it, he was beyond grateful.

He initially tried to tell her he'd be fine without it but when she threatened to somehow get Ladybug to hunt him down and give it to him for her, he accepted it. With how determined Marinette could be, he knew better than to put it past her. Then he'd have to explain himself to Ladybug and that wasn't something he wanted on his to-do list.

The contents of the bag varied. A flashlight, lots of batteries, a sleeping roll, a blanket, a hammock, matches, a dry-bag, a first aid kit, bottled water, a reusable eating utensil, several days worth of canned food, and a can opener. There were several other things in it as well, such as a wind-up radio, toothbrush, moist towelettes, a length of rolled up plastic, a couple gel fuel canisters, and duct tape.

 _Wow,_ he thought as he rifled through the contents. _Marinette was seriously prepared!_ She'd even been kind enough to throw in the fluffy sweater that Plagg had been sleeping on, saying that the cheese smell would never wash out anyway. All of this on top of the leftover cheese she'd also insisted he take with him. He was set for a week at least!

It felt really strange being a squatter but he figured it wouldn't hurt to stay there since the flat below him wasn't being used at the moment. The large slotted vent that looked down at the busy street was the only window he had to the world outside. It was also the only way in or out of the attic without going through the apartments below. The vent was easy enough to pop in and out of place when he decided he wanted to leave but for now, he just wanted to get settled in.

Adrien let go of the transformation and began setting up his hammock between two posts near a chimney. It was the chimney of the apartment next to his but the people had a fire going so it was warmer over there. Plagg nestled down into Adrien's coat pocket to rest while he worked on figuring out how he wanted to situate things around his new living arrangement.

"This is kind of exciting," Adrien said as he set Plagg's fluffy sweater on top of the duffel near the warm chimney. Plagg flitted over and buried himself in the folds of the fuzzy garment. "I've never really done anything like this before."

"Funny," Plagg's muffled voice called from the depths of the fabric. "most people in your current situation would think the exact opposite."

"Well," Adrien's tone grew dark and he pressed his hands down on the hammock to see if it would hold. He sat in his new bed, the ropes creaking under his weight but holding. "not everyone has Hawkmoth for a father."

"Nope," Plagg said nonchalantly still burrowing. "you're the lucky one in a million."

"Pff," Adrien scoffed at the notion of luck. "I wouldn't know what luck was if it came up and punched me in the face!"

"Hey," Plagg peeked out from beneath one of the sweater's arms so that only his face was barely showing. "luck is luck, my friend. I didn't say you had _good_ luck."

"Yeah," Adrien swung gently in the hammock. "I guess you're right. I've got crazy amounts of _bad_ luck."

"I didn't say that either," Plagg sighed. "I happen to be a firm believer in the idea that we make our own luck."

At that moment Adrien's hammock came loose and he tumbled to the ground hitting his tailbone on a floor joist. He let out a long exaggerated sound that was a cross between a moan and a growl as he lay motionless on his back. Plagg burst out laughing. Adrien looked back at him his eyes stinging with tears of pain. He was not unamused.

"I told you we make our own luck!" Plagg chortled as he buried himself again in the warm sweater. "You should try being more positive. All your negativity was bound to catch up to you at some point."

Maybe he _did_ make his own luck? Adrien stood up rubbing his backside where he was sure a bruise was forming. Well... perhaps some of it at least. The only thing he knew for certain was that he had to tell Ladybug what was going on. Maybe something good could still come of this?

Adrien nodded his head in conclusion. He would tell Ladybug about his connection to Hawkmoth.

He would make his own luck.

oOo

 _This really is the worst week ever!_ Ladybug gritted her teeth and braced herself to jump from the building. The Akuma was simply the icing on the cake of the worst week of her life. First Chat Noir almost dies in her back alley, then he leaves her in the middle of the night, then Adrien went missing, and now an Akuma?! _How much worse could things possibly get?!_

Ladybug dodged this way and that as the Akuma shot tendrils of hair at her attempting to bind her. Apparently, the hairdresser had followed her client's instructions to the T and they hadn't liked the results. Pompadoura – as she called herself – couldn't handle the defamation of a very unhappy customer's scathing online review.

The battle was taking longer than she wanted and so far Ladybug had seen neither hide nor hair of Chat Noir. She only had a moment to wonder if the hero was still recovering somewhere and simply wasn't going to show up before a black and blond form came barreling into view.

"Chat Noir!" she called in relief as the boy grabbed her by the waist and pulled her out of the way of another attack. "Where have you been?!"

"I... it's a long story?" he said with a shrug. Ladybug rolled her eyes but the gravely sound of his voice didn't go unnoticed. "Sorry to keep you waiting, My Lady."

"Chat Noir are you... sick?" she asked as they ducked behind a car. She'd almost asked if he was _still_ sick which would have been bad. Ladybug wasn't supposed to know that Chat Noir was sick. He gave her a playful grin.

"Aw, is My Lady worried about me?" he asked tilting his head and smiling wider. Ladybug's frown made a perfect upside down U-shape.

"Of course I was worried!" she scolded her arms gesturing madly around at the scene before them. "You're very late to the party! For all I knew you could have been caught up in one of these weird hair-cocoons! You could have been injured!" she felt herself getting mad at the fact that he'd shown up at all since he was still obviously sick. "Why are you even here?! You should go home and rest!"

"Hey," Chat's brows came together in anger. Why was she mad at him for showing up when a second ago she was mad at him for being late? This girl didn't make any sense sometimes. "I got here when I could! And I'm not going anywhere, my job is to protect you and I plan on doing just that!"

"Protecting _me_?!" Ladybug's voice hitched and she visibly blanched at the thought. But before she could scold him further the car they were hiding behind was lifted into the air by the Akuma's tentacle-like hair. "That's not your job Chat!" Ladybug yelled. They ran, dodging the car – which the Akuma threw – as they went.

"It is too!" Chat yelled back but his voice cut out and the words were lost in his throat.

The battle ended shortly after Chat Noir arrived. Ladybug deliberately didn't use Chat's Cataclysm as proof that she could function alone. At the end, when the white butterfly flitted about, Chat turned questioningly to Ladybug. She used her Miraculous Cure and set the world right again before she turned to him as well. Neither of them held out a hand to fistbump.

"I've been trying to get in contact with you Chat," she said as they watched the butterfly disappear against the cloudy sky. Her breath making puffs of fog as she breathed in the winter air.

"I'm sorry, LB. I've been trying to recover from being sick," he said honestly. He followed her to the roof of a nearby building to escape the crowds that were gathering. "But I needed to talk to you about something super important!"

"Really? Well, I've been _doing_ something super important for the last _four_ days! I've been searching for that missing boy, Adrien Agreste," Ladybug folded her arms over her chest, slight irritation evident in her voice. Chat stood up a little straighter at this.

"W-why are you looking for him?" Chat asked trying to sound nonchalant. "I thought your job was protecting people from Akuma attacks?"

"My duty is to the people of Paris," she shot at him, her frustration mounting. "as is yours!"

"I know that!" he shot right back. Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not an idiot! But what you fail to realize is that my job also includes protecting you!"

"I don't need you to protect me Chat!" she stomped her foot in protest her hands balled into quivering fists. "Citizens like Adrien need protecting! He's out there somewhere and we need to find him!"

"What if Adrien doesn't even want to be found?" Chat Noir growled his expression darkening.

"Of course he wants to be found! You're out of line, Chat Noir!" she practically yelled only making his hackles raise at such an accusation. Her earrings flashed, emitting a small beeping sound before he could say anything in his defense. "Look, I don't have time for this! If you're sick, then just go home! I can find him without your help! The fact of the matter is, I can do all of this without you, Chat!" Ladybug said it so sharply as though it were a truth that everyone knew but him. His gaze didn't waver from her's, a look of hard determination in her eyes. He hoped for a few wild seconds that she was going to take it back... she didn't.

Chat felt his heart give a particularly painful thump against his ribs, jarring him back to his painful reality. Her words were a fatal blow that narrowly missed its mark. They left him alive and suffering, bleeding from the open wound in his heart. Of all the things he needed to hear in that moment, that wasn't even on the list. He bent his arms up over his chest and pulled them tightly to his body as if holding himself together. His eyes grew wide and his pupils turned to slits as the panic set in. Perhaps it was then that she realized her mistake but she was too late.

Ladybug opened her mouth to speak again but he had started his retreat. She cursed her earrings as they beeped again. She didn't have time to case after Chat who was already jumping haphazardly over buildings and vaulting across busy streets. He was scrambling to get away, to lose her words in the wind, to leave them all behind. How could she be so _cruel_? Did she really feel as though she didn't need him? Was he nothing to her at all?

A thought pierced him. A realization from the night he left home.

 _I'm just a sacrificial piece!_ Chat grit his teeth so hard he was sure he cracked a tooth. The angry tears spilling down his face in streaming runnels, cooling his skin in the wind as he ran back to his hideout.

"I mean _nothing_ to her!" he howled as he ran, unable to keep his pain inside. "I'm completely _worthless_!"

Chat Noir dove into the attic and began tearing his claws into the walls and posts around him. What was the point of it all? Why did he even bother run away? He meant nothing to her and he never would! Everything was wrong!

Chat dropped to his knees still his claws digging into the partition wall between the attics. The claw marks were deep and long, crossing over themselves and resembling like a piece of abstract art.

The senseless destruction was so very satisfying...


	7. Chapter 7: Product of Circumstance

Ladybug dropped down into her room from the balcony. Hands balled into fists she stormed over to her computer and plopped into the chair as her suit dispersed into pink light. Marinette was furious. How could Chat Noir be so blind so... _thoughtless_?! Adrien was out there and he was in trouble, she just _knew_ it! She just had to find him.

Tikki came up to face Marinette her tiny arms crossed over her chest.

"I can't believe him Tikki!" Marinette exclaimed throwing her hands in the air in leftover frustration. "I just can't! How could he say something like that?! Of course, Adrien wants to be found! He's probably been kidnapped and is being held for ransom! Adrien needs us! You should eat and recharge Tikki! We have to get back out there!"

"Not so fast, Marinette," Tikki said simply turning her nose up at the idea. "I need to talk to you about how you treated Chat Noir."

"I know, Tikki!" Marinette tilted her head back and moaned. The palms of her fists pressing into her eyes. "I know I might have been a bit hard on him but... I wasn't wrong!"

"Marinette," Tikki's voice deepened completely unamused at her chosen's persistence. "you don't understand. Ladybug needs Chat Noir! Why else would you both be chosen as heroes at the same time?"

"What are you talking about Tikki?" Marinette looked over at her kwami her expression equally unamused. "I mean, we're partners. He's not my sidekick or anything like that. And even though I'd rather not fight alone, I can do this without him if I need to."

"Emphasis on _if you need to!_ " Tikki pressed. "But when it comes down to it, Ladybug has always had Chat Noir to back her up! His role has always been Ladybug's protector! He understands that and you should too."

"Okay, fine," Marinette huffed crossing her arms over her chest. Alright so she was wrong about _one_ thing but she could never be wrong about Adrien! "but I still can't stand the way he completely dismissed the fact that Adrien's been missing! To think that Adrien doesn't want to be found is just ridiculous!"

Tikki pursed her tiny lips as a physical reminder not to let Chat's identity slip. It wasn't her secret to tell. Instead, she sighed sadly to her self. Her words too quiet for Marinette to hear. "I think you're letting your feelings for Adrien cloud your vision."

Marinette opened her computer and searched for any leads on Adrien. She didn't really expect to find anything new. The police had been searching but to no avail and according to reports there had been no demands for a ransom. Not yet at least. Nevertheless, she was going to find him.

He needed her, she could feel it in her bones!

oOo

Plagg tucked away when the transformation finally released. Adrien was hurt bad and the little kwami didn't quite know how to approach him about it. Actually, this was the first time he'd ever actually been a little bit scared to get within arms reach of his chosen. Plagg wasn't the cause of the boy's pain but he didn't exactly seem stable enough to care about such details.

"Hey, kid?" Plagg said finally mustering up the courage to address his sobbing charge. He wasn't within arms reach but he still felt a bit on edge. Adrien didn't look at him but he quieted himself enough to hear. "I just... I wanted to... I'm sorry about what happened. We'll be okay... won't we?"

Plagg wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort Adrien or himself. The uncertainty in his large green eyes was poignant but Adrien wasn't looking. Neither of them said a word for a long time as they sat in the crippling silence. A silence that only broke when Plagg let out a frantic gasp. Adrien finally turned to his kwami, wiping the bitter tears from his face.

"B-butterfly!" Plagg gasped. Sure enough, when Adrien looked to the attic vent, a little white butterfly was fluttering towards him. He grit his teeth. How did his father find him?!

" _Adrien..."_ came a voice that echoed out gently from the little insect. It sounded almost... sad. _"Son, I can only imagine what you must think of me..."_ Adrien said nothing but eyed the bug suspiciously as Plagg floated over to rest in his shirt pocket. _"I don't expect your forgiveness after all the wrongs that I have committed against you and this city. But please know that I am not doing these things because I want to. I do them because I must."_

"You _must?!_ " Adrien choked on the word. What could possibly be so important that he could choose to be a villain?! But before Adrien could find anything else to say about it, his father continued and Adrien found himself unable to breathe.

" _I'm doing everything I can to bring your mother back to us,"_ Gabriel's voice sounded desperate and pleading. For a brief moment, Adrien could see his father was nothing but a brokenhearted man behind his mask, just as Adrien was behind his. He was perhaps too empathetic for his own good. Although, he had no reason to doubt his father's words considering Hawkmoth had only started terrorizing Paris after his mother's disappearance. Perhaps it was the truth? _"you don't have to believe me, but please, just listen..._

" _I need to collect the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous so that I can make a wish,"_ Gabriel paused but when Adrien said nothing, he continued. _"A wish to bring your mother home, for things to go back to the way they were before... I needed to draw out the holders of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous and the only way to do that was to make their powers necessary. I had no choice but to be a villain. Once you both appeared, I had no other option but to fight you and try and take your Miraculous by force,"_ Adrien huffed but Gabriel pressed him.

" _Do you think that after I attacked the city to draw you both out, that I could just walk right up to Ladybug and ask her for her Miraculous on good faith that I wasn't truly a villain?"_ Gabriel paused again but was met with silence. Adrien crossed his arms over his chest. He had a point. _"You know her better than I do. Do you think that she would have understood? Do you really think that she would have helped me... helped us? I've seen the way she treats you during battle... It's obvious to me that she only thinks of you as a tool. But perhaps I'm wrong?"_

Adrien felt his spirit grow even more downcast. He looked at the ground in front of him. Any other day he would have fought back if someone were to say such a thing. Yet, in light of his most recent encounter with the elusive Ladybug... he wasn't sure of anything anymore. Adrien's silence was answer enough to his father's question.

The space between them was silent once more. Adrien stood feeling oddly convinced of his father's honesty and conviction. His father's explanation of events and the reasoning behind his actions made sense to him... what did that mean for Adrien though? Should he keep fighting against his father alongside Ladybug? Or should he... No, surely he wasn't considering siding with his father... was he?

Thinking back on his last encounter with Ladybug, Adrien clenched his fist tightly against his chest. His heart gave a painful thump, the wound was still fresh. Was she even worth it? She said she could do it all without him, perhaps he should let her try? He would only be giving her what she wanted. It wouldn't really hurt anything and if it did it would be her fault for pushing him away.

" _I've said what I've come to say..."_ Gabriel said after allowing his words to sink in. Adrien pulled himself from his thoughts as he watched the little butterfly lift off and flutter towards the vent. _"Should you choose to come home, know that I will not take your ring from you... Even if you decide to continue fighting against me... I'm not your enemy."_

Adrien watched as the butterfly slipped through the slats and drifted away. What was he supposed to do now? Should he go back home? Should he stay where he was? Did it matter? His father could obviously find him no matter where he went... did his father know that he had stayed at Marinette's house? A tiny thrill of panic pierced him. He didn't think his father would use them against him... right? He wouldn't do that, would he? No... Adrien shook his head his pain finding its second wind and he hit his knees, his face in his hands.

This was all just too much.

oOo

Plagg watched Adrien through the night. His charge tossed and turned in his hammock, paced the attic, and rearranged the contents of his duffel bag three times but the kwami remained still. What was he supposed to say? After everything that Adrien's father had told them there was nothing he could do but wait for Adrien to make his decision. Plagg could feel his chosen's confliction as much as much as he could see it written on the boy's face and in his body language.

 _Maybe if Ladybug hadn't been so cruel to the kid yesterday this wouldn't be such a hard decision to make?_ Plagg sighed as he rubbed his tired eyes. The sun was starting to light up the sky and still, Adrien toiled. They would be okay. Plagg just had to keep thinking positively. Maybe Ladybug would find them and she'd apologize for... no. That wasn't likely, even with Tikki's help he knew that this Ladybug wasn't exactly the sort to admit when she was wrong.

"I don't know what to do, Plagg..." Adrien sighed his voice cracked with sleepiness. The boy rubbed his bleary eyes, he hadn't slept at all that night. He turned his bloodshot gaze on the little kwami. Plagg's own eyes were tired but beyond that, they were deeply sad and concerned. It was obvious to Adrien that he didn't know what to do either. He rubbed the back of his neck and leaned against what was left of the destroyed partition wall next to the chimney.

"I'm... I think I..." Adrien said looking up at the exposed ceiling. Plagg listened with baited breath. "I'm tired..." he paused with a deep sigh as he looked defeated to the ground beneath his feet. "I'm tired of being sick. I'm tired of fighting... of running. I just want to go home and sleep in my own bed."

Adrien's voice was impossibly quiet but Plagg's keen ears heard every word. His heart broke for the kid. He hadn't actually expected him to last much longer without at least going back to Marinette's house. But for him to go _home_... Plagg's heart plummeted and for the thousandth time that night he told himself...

 _We're going be okay..._

 _..._

 _Right..?_

oOo

Chat Noir jumped through the city as the sun went down a large duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He'd spent the day carefully packing up his camp and putting everything back the way he'd found it in the bag, he may have dozed off once or twice during the process. He found it bittersweet when he zipped the bag closed. He wasn't sure he liked the feeling.

He landed lightly on the balcony and knocked on the skylight. There was no answer. He thought about simply waiting there for her but he wasn't even sure if she would even be coming home. She could be staying at Alya's for all he knew, it was a Friday night after all. He decided to set the duffel on top of the skylight so it wouldn't go unnoticed when she did come home. He walked to the edge of the balcony and perched himself on the railing.

At that moment the skylight opened and the duffel bag fell to the side with a thud. Chat looked back and saw Marinette climbing up from the opening.

"Princess!" he smiled, the sight of her warming his heart. "I was afraid I wouldn't get to see you!"

"Chat Noir?!" Marinette was breathless as though she'd just run a marathon. "I saw you jump up here from the street! I had to run up here to make sure I caught you before you left!" Chat's smile widened as he noticed the flush of color in her cheeks. She really did run all the way up those steps. "Chat I need to ask you for a favor!"

"A favor?" Chat Noir tilted his head in curiosity and stepped down from the railing. "Anything for you, Princess. What quest do you have for your humble knight?"

"My friend Adrien has been missing for a week!" There were tears in her eyes. He caught himself mute and staring at her. He hadn't thought that his disappearance would affect her so much. They knew each other, sure, but they were never really close. "I don't know if you're looking for him but please, you have to find him! We're all so worried about him! My classmates and I have been going out looking for him but no one's seen anything!"

"Don't worry, Marinette," Chat's expression was unreadable. "I'll find him. Just for you. But in return I need you to promise me something," he took her hands in his, the smile sliding from his lips. An unspoken sadness twinkling in his eyes. "don't hate me."

"W-what?" Marinette was thoroughly confused. "Why would I hate you?"

"After I find Adrien and take him home, I'm not going to be around anymore..." his voice was quiet and the meaning behind his words seemed lost on her. "I'm going on a hiatus as Chat Noir until further notice."

"WHAT?!" Marinette cried out so loudly that Chat actually jumped back and dropped her hands. "Why would you do that?! What about Ladybug?!"

"Truth be told, this was her idea..." Chat said with a bit of a snarky undertone. Marinette's eyes grew wide as she remembered exactly what she'd said to him. "She told me to go home. She said that she could do all of this without me. And after everything... I felt obliged to give her what she wants."

Marinette opened and closed her mouth several times, looking like a fish out of water.

"So I'm going home..." he sighed as he turned his saddened gaze out over the city. "I can't run from my father..."

"You should talk to Ladybug about what's been going on with you!" Marinette tried desperately taking hold of Chat's arm. "I'm sure she didn't mean to push you away!"

"You know, I don't think that's true," Chat chuckled lightly but it was a hollow gesture. "I tried to tell her what was going on with me the last time I saw her and all she did was yell at me about finding Adrien Agreste..." Marinette felt her face growing hot with shame. "Don't feel bad about asking me to look for him. You asked me as a friend, you didn't scream it in my face like an order."

"Okay but..." Marinette was beside herself. What was wrong with her? How could she treat him so badly that he'd actually consider quitting as a Hero?! "if you need someone to listen..."

"You're always here, I know," the smile returned to his face as he looked back at her. He paused for a moment, a crazy urge overtaking him. "My father actually found me in my hiding spot yesterday," He watched Marinette's reaction to his words. She seemed to be considering them carefully. Her eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth in disbelief at his next proclamation. "Go figure though. It's kind of hard to hide from a supervillain."

"Chat Noir..." she breathed taking a step toward him. It was a strange almost comforting gesture since he'd half expected her to run away from him. "are you saying that..."

"I ran away because I found out that Hawkmoth is my father... Please don't hate me!" Chat added the last part quickly as though him saying it outright would make her detest him. He shrunk in on himself. He was so afraid he'd lose her too. Instead, he found himself wrapped in Marinette's arms. She was holding him tightly as though he might disappear any second like sand in a clenched fist. Chat's breath caught in his throat at the act.

She was far stronger than he ever expected, in more ways than one. Marinette continued to surprise him again and again with her strength of character, her loyalty, her acceptance, and just her physical strength. She was practically squeezing the air right out of him.

"Chat Noir!" she cried into his chest. "I'm so sorry for what Ladybug said to you! But you can't go home!"

"I have to, Marinette," he hugged her back burying his face in her hair and relishing the personal contact. "I can't exactly run from him, so what's the point? I have to go back and face him."

"Without Ladybug?!" she demanded, pulling back to look him in the face. "You should wait for her! You should face him together!"

"But that's just it..." Chat said quietly. "She can't help me with this. I'm not going home to face him in battle, Chat Noir against Hawkmoth. I'm going home to face him as his son. And to be honest, I don't really want to see Ladybug right now. I'm not interested in anything she has to say at the moment."

Marinette found she really couldn't argue with that. She wouldn't want to talk to herself after that either... she's just been so concerned with finding Adrien she'd forgotten to care about anything else. Now Chat Noir was leaving her to fend for herself and it was all her fault. The tears trickled down her cheeks in a steady stream.

She did this.

"Hey," Chat squeezed her a little tighter. "you have nothing to worry about. I'll never let anything happen to you or your family. I promise I'll protect you guys, no matter what. That's all that matters to me now."

"But what about everyone else in Paris?!" she countered but Chat only offered her a gentle smile in return.

"They don't need me, they have Ladybug," Chat raised a gloved hand to wipe the tears from her cheek. "She doesn't need me."

"Well, Ladybug is wrong!" Marinette sobbed thumping one of her fists into his chest for effect. "She needs you! She'll always need you!"

"That's sweet of you to say, Princess..." Chat laughed, Marinette could get so worked up over things that didn't really concern her. "I like to think that's true too, but I don't think she'll realize it until she experiences it for herself."

They were quiet for several minutes as Chat Noir allowed Marinette to hold onto him for as long as she desired to. He held her too. She really was something else. Why couldn't _she_ have been chosen to be Ladybug? She'd probably do a much better job... he grinned at the thought of clumsy Marinette bumbling her way through Akuma attacks and saving Paris. He smiled into her hair.

"I wish you were My Ladybug..." he said softly. Marinette's eyes widened but his cheek was still pressed against the top of her head and he couldn't see her face. He sighed. "I have to go. I'll never find your beloved Adrien if I stay here with you all night... no matter how much I'd love to." He winked at her as he pulled away. If Adrien was what she wanted, then he had no choice but to go.

"Y-you still have to come back at some point though!" she declared as he perched himself on her railing. Tiny drifts of snow started to fall, sprinkling them in tiny white flakes. Chat tilted his head in question. "You still have to win back your future children."

"You can count on it!" Chat laughed heartily, a sound that she'd been longing to hear for a while now. She'd missed that sound. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, making a rosy blush bloom on her cheeks. He winked at her. "I'll see you around, Princess, though you might not see me."

"Who are you..." Marinette heard the words slip past her lips before she could stop them.

He looked back at her for a moment a one-sided smirk spread on his face before he jumped out into the twilight.

There was a nauseous sensation washing over him as he jumped the rooftops of Paris. He'd just told her way too much, it was a good thing he hadn't stayed any longer or he might have actually told her that _he_ _was_ Adrien. Now he had to focus on the task at hand, returning home. What would his father say when he showed up? Would he say anything at all? Would he even bother to see him? Maybe things would go back to the way they'd been before?

The run through the city didn't take nearly long enough. He paused a few buildings down from his house, tail flicking back and forth with nervous energy. This had been his decision, he couldn't take it back now. Well, maybe he could... no, he'd made his mind up. He wasn't going to back down. Chat steeled himself for what was to come. No more running. No more hiding.

Chat Noir jumped through the window and into his bedroom. It was eerie how large and open the room felt now. He wondered for a moment if his father was somewhere in the room watching him. The thought made a shiver run down his spine. He looked around more thoroughly but there was no sign of his father or anyone else.

He jumped at the knock that sounded on his door. It hadn't been loud but it still startled him all the same. His room had to have some sort of monitoring system in it since they seemed to know he was there. He bristled.

The door opened and there stood Nathalie tablet in hand. Chat noticed how very unsurprised she seemed to be at the sight of Chat Noir standing in Adrien's bedroom, which could only mean that she knew about it all too. He bristled further at the thought, his hands and teeth clenching.

"Adrien," she said looking from him to her tablet confirming his suspicion. "your father has asked me to inform you of your new schedu-"

Chat reached out suddenly and grabbed the tablet from her hands turning it to dust with his Cataclysm. It had been too much but the look of absolute shock on her face was more than worth it.

"I'm making my schedule from now on, Nathalie," Adrien said dropping the transformation. "If I'm going to be staying here, I need to make a few things clear..."

He gave Nathalie the lowdown. He was to remain in school and aside from fencing his extracurricular activities were coming to an end. Nathalie made a point to say that he would be expected to keep modeling, to which Adrien agreed. His life should look mostly normal from an outside perspective, he knew that much at least.

"And I want to make it very clear that I'm not going to be fighting for my father," Nathalie gave him a hesitant look, nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "but I'm not going to be fighting for Ladybug either. I haven't made up my mind yet which side I'm on. I'm taking a break and I need him to respect that... also, I want you to have the surveillance taken out of my room. There is no reason for either of you to be watching me."

"Y-yes, I'll see what I can-" was all that Nathalie managed to say before Adrien closed the door on her.

Things were definitely not going to be the same.


	8. Chapter 8: A Sight For Sore Eyes

After a bit of thought and consideration, Adrien and his father had decided on a cover story for Adrien's disappearance. Adrien didn't like the story they'd concocted but it was the best they had since telling the truth was out of the question. After a phone call to the police early the next day, the search for his son was officially called off. It was all over the news but Gabriel declined to speak with the press or even let Adrien appear for pictures or give his account of what happened. His only comment to Nadja was that his son had been through enough in the past week before he hung up the phone.

Monday finally rolled around though it had felt like a small eternity. He hadn't slept well since going back home. Constant worry that his father was going to take his ring had him sleeping with one eye open... that is to say, he didn't sleep at all the last two nights. Adrien rolled out of bed at the sound of his alarm. It was time to get ready for school.

There was still a slight rasp to his voice but he wasn't coughing anymore. But his lack of physical illness was dampened by the fact that he looked like he hadn't eaten or slept in the last week and a half. In all honesty, he hadn't done much of either of those things but he didn't like looking this way. He sighed at his reflection in the mirror. Perhaps his appearance would add credibility to his fabricated story?

He wore a black jacket and threw the hood over his head before he left the front door of his house. He was sure there would be plenty of photographers standing on the sidewalk just waiting to snap the winning shot that would be all over the news. He stuck his hands in his pockets and ducked his head to let his hair hide his face as best it could. Adrien didn't feel up for an impromptu photo shoot at the moment. Sure enough, as Nathalie opened the doors the sound of frenzied clicking filled the air. It made him feel sick with anger. How could people be so heartless to try and snap a picture of a kid who they think was just kidnapped?

Adrien's bodyguard did his job well, blocking most of the camera's from getting a shot at him. The man was like a brick wall. Adrien grinned despite himself. He slid into the car next to Nathalie and the door clicked shut behind him. The drive to school was silent up until the last minute when Nathalie seemed to think that Adrien needed to be reminded that he had to "act the part" and stick to his story. Adrien eyed her in silence as the car pulled to a stop in front of the school.

"Uhm, thanks for reminding me?" was his only response. Of course, he knew he had to play the part, he wasn't that stupid.

Adrien stepped out of the car and walked up the steps to wait for Nino just inside the entrance. The longer he stood there leaning against the wall by the doors the more uneasy he became. He had never felt more on display in his life and he was a teen model! The eyes of every passerby burned him as he stared at the floor. His hood was still up, his hands still tucked in his pockets, and his head was ducked the same as when he'd left his house. The worst part was their whispering, they weren't really being all that quiet. Why couldn't people just mind their own business?

"Dude!" the familiar voice broke him out of his inner thoughts and pulled him back into reality. Nino had rushed him and dragged him into a bro-hug. "I didn't think you'd be coming back to school so soon! Why are you here?! I mean I'm happy to see you man but seriously, if it had been me, I'd be taking all the time off that I could!"

"It's good to see you too, Nino," Adrien laughed feeling a thousand times lighter. He hadn't realized just how heavy everything was until this moment. He smiled at his friend, it was good to see him again.

"Oh my gosh, boy!" Alya's voice called from behind him. Adrien turned to look at her, smile still on his face. Alya gave him a small hurried hug before holding him out at arm's length to look him over. "I hear that Chat Noir was the one who found-"

"Alya!" a harsh whisper from nearby reined Alya in. It was Marinette who was standing half behind her friend and back several paces. She looked like she wanted to come over too but stayed her distance.

"Right well," Alya changed course immediately. "you look great!"

"That's a bold-faced lie," Adrien said with a chuckle and Alya shrugged releasing him from her grip at long last. "Thanks for trying, though."

"You know," the girl continued with a twinkle in her eye. "we all went out as a class and looked for you. Putting up posters, knocking on doors, asking people if they'd seen you or anything suspicious, the list goes on!"

"You guys did that to find me?" Adrien's voice was a bit quiet. Had his classmates always cared this much about him? Nino and Alya were a given but he wasn't particularly close with many of the other students especially Marinette. His time with her as Chat Noir had only served to prove that he knew almost nothing about her, really. Adrien looked over at Marinette, noticing the girl's eyes would dart to his momentarily before continuing to inspect the ground in front of her feet.

"You have no idea!" Nino chimed in. He walked forward and clapped a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "Marinette here pretty much orchestrated the whole thing! She was, like, organizing search parties, helping to design posters, setting up search grids so we wouldn't knock on the same doors twice, and all that stuff! You should have seen her!"

"R-really, Marinette?" Adrien felt his cheeks get a little warm but his blush was nothing compared to Marinette's. Her entire face was red, even her ears. He stepped closer to her and she turned her gaze from Nino to Adrien. Eyes wide and staring she looked absolutely petrified. Did she consider him her friend too? They'd hardly spoken in the past, why would she go through so much effort to find him? Then he remembered the last time he'd seen her as Chat Noir, the worry on her face and tears in her eyes. She truly had been very worried about him. Adrien found himself blown away by her yet again. "You did all that just for me?"

Adrien waited patiently as Marinette stuttered incoherently for a few seconds not even managing a single word before...

"ADRIKIIIIIINS!" Adrien visibly flinched at the shrill sound and nearly didn't stop himself from throwing a punch at Chloe as she launched herself at him. He took a deep breath to settle his suddenly fried nerves. He tensed up and leaned away as she tried to kiss his cheek, arms clasped tightly around his neck. "I was so worried! You could have at least sent me a text saying that you were kidnapped! I had to learn it from social media like everyone else! But you're back now! I'm so happy you're home!"

"Y-yeah, they sorta took my phone Chlo..." Adrien sighed and patted her back congenially. He'd just been missing for a week, he could put up with this for a minute if he had to. To be fair, she had been worried about him... in her own sort of way.

"Those monsters!" Chloe cried. She couldn't even begin to imagine what life would be like without her phone. Her rant about the "injustice of it all" continued for another minute or two.

By the time he was able to pry himself from Chloe, Alya and Marinette had already made their way to the classroom. Nino walked with him to class. Pushing open the door Adrien was greeted by a mob of students, his classmates were all standing at the front of the room waiting for him. There was cheering and people hugging him and each other in celebration of his return. Though the bell had rung Mm. Bustier didn't bring her class to order. The lecture could wait, her class wouldn't pay attention if she gave her lesson anyway.

Adrien felt a bit overwhelmed by all the love he was receiving. It made him feel full. Full of what? He wasn't quite sure but maybe it was love for his friends? Or maybe just general emotions? They'd been looking for him and were overjoyed to see him again. They kept asking him if he knew how to get a hold of Chat Noir so that they could thank him properly for saving their friend. He had to deny any knowledge of how to contact Chat Noir at least ten times.

"Seriously though," Alya whispered to him at one point. "you've got to let me interview you for the LadyBlog!"

"Maybe later," he laughed, she could be so persistent. "I'm still not feeling up for an interview and I'd have to run it by my father..." the very thought of asking his father for permission to lie to people irked him. "he doesn't want me talking to the media right now, I don't know if you count as 'the media' by his standards. Please don't take offense to that, you know how my father can be..."

"Don't you worry about me. I don't care what he thinks as long as I can get an interview!" Alya was determined. Seeing them all again, smiling and laughing and some of them crying with joy... it was really too much to take.

"Mm. Bustier," Adrien walked up to her desk and she turned her attention to him, she'd been catching up on grading papers. "may I go to the restroom for a minute?"

"Of course," she looked at him quizzically then smiled gently. "take all the time you need."

Adrien wasn't sure what the look on his face had told her but he nodded and left the room without questioning it. He took a deep breath as the door clicked shut behind him. He was grateful for the reprieve of emotions that had just been dumped on him in class. It wasn't until someone nearby cleared their throat that he realized he wasn't quite alone. He turned to see Marinette standing a few feet away, nervously looking from him to the door behind him. Adrien was blocking her way.

"Oh, s-sorry..." Adrien stepped aside to let her pass but she didn't move. She was looking at him now, all nervousness gone. The look in her eyes was something akin to empathy, he wasn't sure whether to embrace it or run away.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly her hands wringing the strap of her purse. Strange though it was, this was the first time anyone had asked him this question. Half of him wanted to tell her the truth about everything that had happened, the other – more reasonable – half told him to give his usual response. He stood mute for a second mouth slightly gaping at the simple question. What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to be okay? Or was it appropriate to tell the truth? After a long second, he found himself again.

"Oh, I'm just fine!" he gave his classic smile and lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. This is what he always did, right? This looked and sounded natural, right? He hoped so.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Marinette said still looking straight at him. Her eyes were so intense Adrien found it hard to hold her gaze, fearful that she'd see right through him. Not that it mattered since she'd obviously seen the lie from a hundred miles away. "I know we've never really been close but... if you ever need someone to talk to..."

Adrien almost couldn't contain himself. She was extending the same offer to him that she'd given to Chat Noir. He felt his shoulders slump forward and he crossed his arms over his chest, trying to hold himself together. He bit his lower lip to keep it from quivering.

"I... uhm... th-thank you, Marinette," he moved past her quickly so she couldn't see that his eyes had begun to water. He wasn't crying, though. He wouldn't allow that to happen, especially not in public.

It was a long and emotionally exhausting day. All he wanted to do was find a quiet place to lay his head and fall asleep. He managed to fit in a power nap at lunch but with all the noise and commotion in the lunch hall, he hadn't been able to rest his eyes for more than fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, the only thing the nap did successfully was to remind his body how much sleep he'd missed. Adrien sighed and poked at his food with his fork. He was hungry but the lack of sleep was giving him a stomach ache.

"Dude, if your chicken wasn't dead before it got here, it is now," Nino prodded Adrien, drawing him out of his stupor. He'd been repeatedly stabbing the chicken breast on his plate. Adrien looked around to Alya and Marinette who were pretending they hadn't noticed. "Maybe you should take a day off or something?"

"No!" Adrien said a bit too forcefully. He felt the heat growing in his face and he toned himself down before he continued. "I don't want to stay home. I'm just tired, that's all." as if to prove his point he had to stop and yawn, covering his mouth with his hands. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I just need some sleep and I'll be just fine."

"Alright, dude, if you say so," Nino still looked slightly concerned but let it go. Adrien was glad that Nino wasn't the type to pry too much.

Adrien was having a hard time trying to figure out what the deal was with Marinette. She had always been so nervous around him and would say strange things and mix up her words but every once in a while, it was like the clouds in her mind would clear and she could speak normally to him like she had in the hallway. Then she would go right back to being unable to even look in his direction with a straight face. Why couldn't she just act like she did when he was Chat Noir?

Adrien noticed Marinette's face getting pinker and pinker. The sight made a one-sided grin creep onto his face until he realized that he'd been staring at her since his conversation with Nino a few minutes ago. Of course, her face was turning red, he was sitting there blatantly staring at her with a dumb smirk on his face. He was _still_ staring at her! Adrien cleared his throat and looked back at his plate. The heat in his own cheeks rising up again as he continued to stab his chicken until lunch was over.

The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day. At the same moment, an alert sounded on everyone's phone, there was an Akuma attack only a block away. Adrien felt his body tense and his blood run a bit cold. He'd sworn he wouldn't fight with her. He should stick to his plan and just let her battle alone, right? He saw Marinette dash from the room in a hurry and thought to chase after her to make sure she got home okay but he stopped himself. He wasn't Chat Noir right now, he was Adrien, and Adrien following Marinette home was just creepy. He ran down the front steps of the school with the other students and looked down the street towards where the Akuma was wreaking havoc. Adrien hesitated.

The strong hand of his bodyguard on his shoulder told him it was time to go home. Adrien allowed himself to be steered towards the car. With the door shut behind him, his driver took off, getting his charge home and away from the fighting as fast as he could.

Adrien didn't want to go home. It was strange, to know the truth but to not be fighting the man he'd sworn to protect Paris from. He had always imagined Hawkmoth as a faceless, nameless man who had no motive beyond wanting to either rule the world or perhaps just destroy Paris. To know it was his own father and that he had very specific reasons as to why he was doing what he was doing... it changed everything. The goal Hawkmoth was fighting for was a goal that Adrien himself wanted to see come to fruition but he wasn't sure he could support his father's methods. The whole thing made his head hurt just thinking about it.

The ride home was quiet, just like his house, just like his room. It was such a stark contrast to all the noise and life he'd experienced at school that day that he had to suppress the urge to simply stand in his room and scream just to hear something. Adrien begrudgingly opened up the Ladyblog on his computer, knowing that if the Akuma attack was still going on, Alya would be live streaming it.

Ladybug flew this way and that as Alya tried to track her with her phone. The Akuma was defeated shortly after he started watching. Seeing Ladybug again, even in a video made a bitter taste blossom on his tongue.

"Ladybug!" Alya's voice called out as the heroine making her turn to look at the junior reporter. "Where was Chat Noir today? I was hoping I could talk to him, maybe set up an interview!"

"He's..." Ladybug hesitated a pained look seeping into her features. "Chat Noir I'm sorry for what I said! If you're listening, I didn't mean any of it! I never should have... I'm sorry." With that Ladybug zipped away leaving Alya stunned and desperate for more details but the hero was long gone.

Adrien closed the tab trying to convince himself that he didn't want her apology. He sorely needed a distraction. There were things he needed to do, like the review sheets from the last week and some homework from a couple teachers. Due to his "circumstance", he wasn't expected to make up all the work he missed as long as he did the reviews. But Adrien didn't want to do homework right now.

He had something else in mind.

oOo

Marinette sat on the bench upon her terrace, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. She stared into its depths and wondered how Chat Noir was doing. Or if he was even still Chat Noir. What if his father had taken his ring? What if he was being held captive by his father? Why couldn't Chat have given Ladybug the chance to apologize properly instead of trying to reach him via Ladyblog? Poor Alya was probably so confused... or worse, she was probably speculating and creating theories about the meaning behind Ladybug's apology.

Marinette sighed as her thoughts turned back to Chat Noir. A tear escaped her eye and rolled off her cheek, landing in her rapidly cooling hot chocolate. She wiped her face with her shoulder, a fuzzy blanket draped over her.

"What's got you so down, Princess?" the lilted voice startled her and she looked up to see a familiar black cat crouching on the railing next to her. She hadn't heard him approach.

"Chat Noir!" he was a sight for sore eyes.


	9. Chapter 9: Not Yet Written

Just a little short story to add some fluff and stuff. Originally I was going to cut this but it just turned out so cute! So I made it into a mini-chapter. Enjoy~

* * *

Chat Noir stepped down onto the tiled floor of Marinette's roof before taking a seat next to her. A strange look was etched into every feature of her face as she watched him. He could only imagine what was on her mind. Knowing her, it was probably a whole bunch of things all at once. He smiled slightly at the thought.

"I hope you weren't crying over me," he leaned his back against the bench and pressed his hand to his chest in a semi-dramatic fashion. Her expression didn't change. Her eyes still teary and becoming more intense by the second, Chat suddenly felt like a cat-fish out of water. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I mean... are you okay?"

"I've been so worried about you..." her voice was so quiet but the heart in her words made him choke on his own foolishness. He had been trying to make her feel better but maybe she wasn't ready to _be_ better? He could understand that feeling. "I haven't been able to wrap my mind around it yet..."

"You're telling me?" Chat's shoulders slumped and his hands fiddled aimlessly in his lap. He didn't need her to elaborate to know that she was talking about what he'd told her during his last visit. "I'm sorry I dumped all of that on you, I wish I could take it back. I wish I could just make you forget everything I told you..."

"No!" Marinette reached out and gripped his forearm firmly with her hand. She set down her hot chocolate and turned to face him more fully. "I'm not going to lie, I am struggling with it but I'm glad you told me! I want you to talk to me about it! It might be difficult for me but it's likely a hundred times worse for you! I can't even imagine what you went through..."

"Sure you can," Chat gave her a cheeky grin. "I ran away from home without packing a bag in the dead of winter and fell unconscious in a back alley. I was found by the best baker in Paris and cared for by the best mom in Paris and was befriended by the best citizen of Paris. I was pretty lucky I had you and your parents looking out for me." He winked at her, making her giggle. The sound was just as beautiful as always. It had only been a couple days but it had felt much, much longer than that.

"But you're back home now..." Marinette added after a minute of sitting quietly in the dark winter evening. "How are you holding up? I mean, if I were in your shoes I wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

"Funny. Now that you mention it," Chat tapped his chin mocking dawning realization. "I haven't slept in two days and I'm completely exhausted. Can I lay down? Just for a minute?"

"Come inside, you can take a little cat nap on the daybed," Marinette laughed at her joke but Chat only yawned as he followed her inside.

Chat laid down on the chaise and Marinette threw the blanket from her shoulders over the top of him. He snuggled in and curled up in the blanket until only his face and the top of his head was visible. Marinette laughed at the sight of his big goofy smile. He was such a dork sometimes. She moved toward her desk to start sketching out a new design for spring but Chat caught her wrist as she turned.

"What? No bedtime story?" His eyes grew wide and he pouted his lower lip in the most pathetic way he could muster. She rolled her eyes but complied, sitting on the edge of the bed. Chat giggled in his triumph and curled up close to her. Taking her hand he placed it on top of his head then waited patiently. His eagerness making Marinette laugh as she began to stroke his hair.

"Let's see..." Marinette thought for a minute. "Once upon a time-"

"I've heard that one already!" Chat complained childishly before smiling coyly up at her. She was half tempted to tell him he couldn't have a story if he was going to be like that but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Alright then, I'll make up a new story..." Marinette said pointedly so that Chat couldn't stall her again. "Once upon a winter night, a silly black cat wandered into a castle," Chat smiled.

"I like this story already!" Chat Noir chimed happily, resting his head easily against the pillow as he looked up at her.

"I thought you might," she smiled back at him then continued. "Well, this silly black cat ended up being found by the King and Queen of the castle! When they brought him in they found out that the cat was a stray and that he was really sick!" to this Chat gave a gasp and a quiet "oh no!" Marinette nodded and put on her serious face for effect. "The King and Queen were good and kind rulers so they decided to take in the silly black cat. Being rulers of a kingdom, the King and Queen were very busy and so they charged their daughter, the Princess, to nurse the kitty back to health. The Princess wasn't very happy about being given such a duty, but she did her best to help the silly kitty get back on his feet-"

"Paws," Chat interrupted. Marinette blinked down at him. "cats have paws, not feet... please continue."

"... to help the silly kitty get back on his _paws_..." Marinette emphasized the word dramatically and Chat nestled down further into his blankets. "Even though she had been reluctant at first, the Princess and the little black cat became very good friends." Chat smiled and started to purr. Marinette's fingers still stroking his hair. "But then, when the Princess had just gotten used to having the silly kitty around, he told her he had to leave... The Princess didn't want him to go but trusted that her friend knew best. He left the castle and the Princess was unsure whether she would ever see her friend again." Chat's purring grew a bit louder as his eyes drooped, his sleepiness getting the better of him. "But the Princess never gave up. She knew that she would see him again someday and so she waited for him every night. And one day he did come back but their reunion was a sad one.

"The black cat told the Princess that he was a Prince from a faraway land but that an evil ruler had overthrown his kingdom," Marinette wasn't looking at Chat but she could feel his eyes on her. "He told her that he had to go back to his homeland and set things right but that the evil ruler had transformed him into a black cat so that he would always have bad luck and would never be able to find his way home. Upon hearing this, the Princess was overcome by grief and wept the purest tears for her friend. One of the tears that fell landed on the head of the black cat and he suddenly transformed into a gallant Prince."

"No way!" Chat gasped but he couldn't contain a sleepy smile. "The Princess had magic tears?!"

"Mhm," Marinette laughed lightly then continued. "But without another word, the Prince rode away from the castle one last time, unsure if he would ever return. But the Princess had enough faith for both of them. She knew deep in her heart that her princely black cat would be victorious and live happily ever after. The end."

"What?!" Chat wrapped his arm loosely around her waist to keep her from getting away from him. "That's not a real ending! You can't leave it on a cliffhanger like that! Does the Prince actually win? Does he ever come back for the Princess? Does he get to sweep her off her feet? Do they fall in love and ride off into the sunset?! I need to know these things!"

"Get some sleep you silly cat," Marinette lifted Chat's arm from around her waist and tucked him in tightly. He started to struggle against her in protest. He couldn't stand such an unsatisfactory ending to such a good story.

"You don't understand!" Chat whined quietly. "I need a better ending than that..."

"Well, the rest hasn't been written yet," Marinette winked at him and he huffed, his cheeks seemed to inflate with his distaste. "I really hope your ending is a good one, my silly Chaton." She leaned down and kissed his forehead, silencing any further protests he might have had before walking over to her desk.

Chat Noir was grateful that she didn't look back at him as she flipped off the lights so that her desk lamp was the only light in the room. He was sure his face had gone completely red. She called him _her_ silly Chaton and kissed his forehead! Chat Noir was sure he would have erupted with joy if she'd left the room.

When he was alone, he could never seem to find his way. Everything seemed so dark and he felt as though he were doomed to forever walk in circles. Then there was Marinette. She was a flickering light, an article of hope. Like the Princess in the story, she made him feel like he was strong enough and brave enough to do what he needed to do. She was his magical Princess and he was her silly, princely black cat.

Chat closed his eyes, a smile still touched at the corners of his lips. Within a matter of moments, he drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10: Revelation

Chat Noir opened his eyes and yawned, blinking his bleary eyes as he looked around the room. Marinette stood over him, leaning down as she shook him softly awake. He looked up at her.

"W-what time is it?" Chat asked as he sat up and stretched. He felt so much better, though, still a bit sleepy.

"It's almost one in the morning," Marinette said in a hushed voice but Chat could hear how tired she was. His eyes flew open and he stood up from the warmth of the covers.

"Marinette!" he groaned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Why didn't you wake me sooner? Aren't you tired? You should get some rest!"

"I am tired," Marinette agreed. "but you needed more rest than I did. So, I let you sleep while I worked on some stuff."

"Have I ever told you how wonderful you are, Princess?" Chat purred and tilted his head to the side to match his lopsided grin.

"Possibly," Marinette placed a hand on her hip and grinned right back at him. "but you could stand to tell me more."

"Seriously though, Marinette..." Chat stood up straight and placed a hand on her shoulder. "you're an amazing person." Marinette stood feeling a bit awkward at the sudden seriousness of his compliment. How was she supposed to respond? Saying "Oh thanks!" just didn't feel right.

"You're pretty amazing too," Marinette said after some thought. "I mean, you're a hero of Paris. You saved my friend Adrien... my whole class wants to thank you for what you did."

"Well, it was my _purr_ -leasure, Princess," he grinned at her and gave a bow. "but they really have you to thank. You were the one who convinced me to find him and bring him home."

"But you're the one who found him..." Marinette seemed a bit down as she sighed and looked at the floor. "not me."

"From what I hear, you did everything you could to find your friend," Chat smiled at her and lifted her chin, tilting her face to look at him. "You did more than most people would. I'm sure he really appreciates that... how could he not? I would have been so touched if anyone had been out there looking for me when I ran away."

"Well, if it's any consolation," Marinette smiled up at him. "I would have looked for you, Chat. Believe it or not."

"I believe it with all my heart," He smiled back at her his expression softening. His thumb brushed lightly against her chin where he still held her face. Chat Noir realized that he'd kept her gaze for too long and was leaning towards her a little too much. He looked away suddenly, dropping his hand to his side. "I'm sorry I've kept you so long. I should let you get some sleep. Goodnight, my fair Princess."

Chat took her hand and bowed deeply, pressing a kiss against her knuckles.

Marinette blushed. She held her hand to her chest as Chat Noir climbed out of her room and off into the night. Why were there butterflies in her stomach? She shook her head. That was enough of that. Marinette went to bed, determined to forget about the warmth that had bubbled up in her chest and the butterflies that still fluttered within her.

oOo

Adrien fell back on his bed and groaned. His arm draped dramatically over his face and he let loose a long sigh. He was still tired but feeling much better than he had before. Adrien figured that his father probably knew that he'd been out but he didn't care. What could he do? Ground him from being Chat Noir? He snorted at the thought but didn't doubt that his father might actually try that. His father couldn't keep him locked up here anymore. There was a safe place he could go if he started to feel trapped in his elaborate prison cell. The thought made a smile slip unnoticed onto his face.

"What are you grinning about?" Plagg shot at him as he plopped himself down on Adrien's pillow. He'd been acting even more grumpy ever since Adrien decided to come home.

"I'm not grinning!" Adrien scrunched his face trying to make any expression but this insufferable grin that he just couldn't get rid of. Why was he grinning anyway?

"Yes, you are..." Plagg said bluntly and Adrien turned on his side to face away from his kwami.

"Well, if it's bothering you maybe you should look somewhere else?" Adrien offered in a matter-of-fact tone. Several minutes passed in relative silence with the exception of Adrien's occasional sighing. Every time he did, Plagg's face would contort, twisting itself unrecognizable until he couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, that's it!" Plagg sprang off the pillow and thumped Adrien on the back of his head. The boy turned a wary eye on the little spirit. "Why do you keep on sighing?! Are you already so head over heels for Marinette that you can't contain it?!"

"W-what?!" Adrien protested sitting up now and glaring down at his kwami. "I'm... I'm not... I don't know what you're talking about! We're just good friends!"

"Oh yeah?!" Plagg prodded him. His little arms flailed as he spoke, overwhelmed with frustration. "Well, I wish you were!"

"I'm not... wait, what?" Adrien found himself bewildered by the odd confession.

"If you like her and her family so much then why don't you go back?!" Plagg demanded floating up until he was only a fist away from the end of Adrien's nose. He realized then that Plagg wasn't angry, he was beseeching him. "You need to leave this place! Why did you ever come back here?!"

"I can't stay at Marinette's house!" Adrien protested. He didn't like being here just as much as Plagg but it couldn't be helped, he had nowhere else to go. "You know I won't put her and her family in danger like that."

"You put them in danger just by knowing them as Chat Noir!" Plagg challenged him, his tiny chest puffing up. "The same goes for everyone that you know as Adrien! They can all be used against you! You could protect them if you were always close by!"

"Plagg..." Adrien had thought of this before, but there was nothing he could do about it. Every solution involved him revealing his identity and that wasn't exactly open for debate. "Even if my father was the kind of person who would use them against me, it's not like I can hide them away. I can't leave and take all my friends with me. I'm trapped no matter what I do... I can't run anymore. That stopped being an option once my father found out my identity. The best I can do is stay here and hope that my father never has reason to use any of them against me."

"I... I know..." Plagg visibly deflated, his whiskers hung low and his eyes drooped.

"I hate this just as much as you do, Plagg. Trust me," Adrien sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I wish I could get away from here. But if I ran to my friends, it would do nothing but make them actual targets instead of just potential ones. This is the safest place I can be right now... for everyone's sake."

"The safest place for everyone but us..." Plagg floated forward and nestled himself against Adrien's neck just inside his collar. He lifted a hand to softly pat the kwami. Plagg didn't show affection very often but when he did it was sorely needed on both sides. Adrien spent the rest of the night catching up on his homework and review sheets. It was mostly stuff he already knew thanks to his advanced homeschooling tutors.

He rubbed his eyes as his head drooped. He'd been awake since he left Marinette's house and the sun was beginning to rise. Adrien picked up his phone and looked at the time. It was just about time for his alarm to go off, it was nearly six am. Adrien had been playing video games and watching anime since he finished his homework in an attempt to keep himself awake through the night. Stretching and yawning, he stood from the couch and decided to get ready for school a bit early...

"You know man," Nino said as Adrien rested his head on his desk before class. "there's this thing called sleep. You should try it sometime."

"Sleep is for the weak!" Adrien yawned, his eyes closing against his will. Despite having gotten a few hours in at Marinette's place, he was still so very tired.

"Dude," was Nino's only response as she shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Don't you judge me, Nino," Adrien sighed into his desk. "I'll get plenty of sleep when I'm dead. Does that make you feel better?"

"Not even remotely..." Nino grumbled as he pulled his textbook from his bag.

Alya walked into the classroom just as the warning bell rang and took her seat. Marinette was nowhere to be found but Adrien figured she probably ended up sleeping through her alarm. He felt guilty. Maybe he shouldn't bother her anymore? But then again, he knew that he would never be able to keep himself away.

A minute later the final bell rang and Marinette came bursting through the doors looking a little panicked and rather disheveled. Adrien sat up straight, startled by the sudden loud noise of the door banging open as the girl practically fell across the threshold. Her hair was loosely falling around her face, her usual pigtails yet to be tied, and her jacket hung slightly from one shoulder. She looked a general mess.

"Nice of you to join us, Miss Dupain-Cheng," Mme. Bustier said as she started writing on the board. "please, take your seat."

"Sorry," Marinette squeaked as she hurried past the teacher to her seat behind Adrien. He felt a bit worse now, seeing her so frazzled. He would have to do something to make it up to her later. He had a hard time keeping focused in class as his vision was continually blurring and he kept yawning.

Once class was out Adrien saw Marinette and Alya head out of class together. He followed not too far behind them as they made their way to the lockers. Alya pulled the brush from Marinette's open locker and started running it through her friend's hair.

"... I know! I just get so caught up in designing that I lose track of time!" Marinette explained as Alya continued to loosen knots with the brush. "Oh, gosh... I look terrible!" she moaned as she looked at her reflection in the small locker mirror.

"Well, at least you look better than I do," Adrien laughed lightly as he came up next to the girls. He paused suddenly, he hadn't really thought of a good reason to come over and talk to Marinette... that stupid joke was all he had! What should he say now? Marinette looked at him, mouth open slightly like she wasn't quite sure how to respond. This conversation was already headed into a steep nosedive through the tiled floor between them. For a brief stint, he contemplated simply turning on heel and running away.

"Yeah, boy, you seriously need to get some sleep," Alya said with a grin, single-handedly saving the conversation. "Those are some serious bags under your eyes."

"According to Adrien, sleep is for the weak and the dead," Nino said from somewhere behind Adrien. He jumped at the sound of his voice, he hadn't realized Nino followed him from class. He was getting sloppy without proper sleep.

"Using my own words against me," Adrien chided pressing a hand to his chest in mock-hurt. "How could you?"

"Very easily, dude," Nino's half-lidded eyes showing just how unamused he was.

"Marinette here must share that sentiment since she stayed up half the night designing her spring line," Alya said in a stuffy tone often used by high fashion designers who were describing their lines in full – rather abstract and metaphorical – detail. Adrien snickered, knowing the tone all too well.

"You can hardly call a single dress a 'line' of clothing, Alya," Marinette sighed as she continued to brush through her own hair.

"What?" Alya looked confused. "But I know that you were planning on doing a dress, a skirt, and like three different styles of shirts! What happened to the rest?"

"Oh, uhm..." Marinette thought for a moment. Adrien noted the slight defeat in her voice as she spoke. "I guess I didn't have as much money saved up as I thought I did. My savings is a bit low, so I won't be able to get enough fabric for the other pieces."

Adrien's eyes grew wide as he realized... he'd never paid her back for all the cheese! This girl had done so much for him and here he was not keeping his promise to pay her back. What kind of friend was he? Why hadn't she mentioned anything about it sooner? Well, she wasn't really the sort who would hound him about that kind of thing. Maybe she had just been hoping he'd remember it on his own? Or maybe she'd just forgotten about it until now? Adrien made a mental note to bring money the next time he visited her. Adrien was drawn from his thoughts when the bell rang for class.

At lunch, he checked his wallet to see how much cash he actually had on him. It wasn't enough. He was going to have to go home and get more before the next time he went to see her. There was no way he was showing up empty-handed again.

The rest of the day Adrien could feel his lack of sleep causing his mind to fumble around in a clouded haze. He could hardly focus on anything, his vacant staring nearly getting him in trouble a couple of times. Nino helped him somewhat, nudging him back to reality whenever his eyes would close or his head would droop. He really needed to get up and do something to get his blood pumping. He had fencing after school, maybe that would help?

Though he felt much more awake with a rapier in his hand, Adire knew his form was off and his instructor called him out on it several times. Adrien was growing more and more frustrated by his own lack of performance. M. d'Argencourt hadn't lightened up on him at all despite having been supposedly kidnapped. He had actually been taking it harder on him, or at least it felt that way to Adrien. He wondered if his instructor was disappointed in his inability to defend himself against his would-be kidnappers. It did reflect somewhat poorly on his teacher. It was hard to say, M. d'Argencourt was a bit of a stiff person, to begin with. One thing was for certain though, he expected more of his student.

By the end of class, M. d'Argencourt had Adrien off to the side of the class drilling basic forms over and over. It was monotonous but at least it kept him up and moving. Once in the locker room, Adrien tore off his face mask and began stripping off his pads. It was humiliating being stuck back in basics. He was the top student in his fencing class, he should be teaching basics not being instructed on them! Plagg bristled as Adrien picked up his back and headed to the car out front. He hated going back home, not that that would ever change.

Nathalie had become colder since everything had come out into the open. Sometimes Adrien wondered if the woman was a robot. Aside from his father, he'd never met anyone more unfeeling. She stood in the foyer tablet in hand, same as always, clicking away on its surface. Without looking up she called out to him.

"Your father is busy with his work and won't be down for dinner."

"Yeah, what else is new?" Adrien sighed as he walked past her without batting an eye. "I'll take dinner in my room."

"Your father also asks that you don't go out so late anymore," Nathalie said making Adrien pause on the stairs and look back at her.

"You can tell my father," Adrien growled at her. "I'll stop going out as Chat Noir when he stops making Akumas and terrorizing the city. Until then, what I do in my spare time is none of his business."

Nathalie didn't respond but continued to click away on the tablet. Adrien went to his room and slammed the door. He was frustrated enough with being forced to do basics in fencing and now this? His day was just getting worse and worse. Adrien was quite certain that his exchange with Nathalie had made him lose his appetite.

He threw himself on his bed and let out a loud growl into the mattress. Plagg had been more eager than ever the last few nights to transform and run off to anywhere but here. He sat next to Adrien on the bed and watched him expectantly. A thought occurred to him then and he propped himself up on his elbows a manic look on his face.

"Let's do something crazy, Plagg..." Adrien said, a moment later he had shot to his feet and was collecting something from his bedside drawer. He moved quickly to the windows and flung them wide open.

"Like what kind of crazy are we talking about?" Plagg inquired though his excitement was more than noticeable. "Are we gonna, like, rob a bank or something?!"

"I'm going to be a hero!" Adrien took in a deep breath, feeling the electricity of his revelation course through him. Plagg looked at him dumbly. Really? This was his crazy idea?

"You do know you're already a hero, right?" Plagg asked feeling his excitement deflate a bit.

"Of course, Plagg. What I mean is," Adrien's determined grin crawled back into place as he looked over his shoulder at the kwami. "I don't need to be standing next to Ladybug or fighting Akumas to be a hero of Paris... Claws out!"

Adrien was gone with the wind and in his place was a leather-clad black cat vaulting over the rooftops of Paris. Chat Noir was always meant to be a hero, no matter what.

He'd almost forgotten that.


	11. Chapter 11: Self-Destruct

It was difficult being Adrien Agreste. Going about his day to day life was becoming such a chore when he'd much rather be running around the city as Chat Noir. Adrien was getting such a kick out of doing the solo hero thing, he found the only thing that kept him going back to school was getting to see his best friend Nino. He would say that getting to see Marinette was also a plus but he much preferred their interactions when he was in costume.

Alya had taken to following Chat Noir as best she could around the city, trying to pry answers out of him but to no avail. The junior reporter had cornered him a couple of times, imploring to know why Chat Noir still seemed to be ignoring Ladybug and the Akuma attacks. Chat either ignored her questions completely or gave rather cryptic responses that only left her with more questions. He'd always grin and jump away to a place where she couldn't follow him.

It was late evening and Chat Noir was lounging in a tree at the park. It had been mostly quiet but every now and again a passerby would see him and snap a picture with their phones. He grinned to himself. He had missed the recognition more than he cared to admit. Sure people recognized him as Adrien but it just wasn't the same. People would tell Chat Noir that he was a hero and thank him for him being around to protect Paris, but Adrien only ever got recognized by girls who wanted autographs and pictures and would then scream at him how much they loved him. He hated signing autographs as Adrien. It's not like he actually did anything to deserve people's attention as a civilian aside from being a model, not like Chat Noir who saved people on a regular basis.

A scream roused him suddenly from his half-nap and he jumped down from the tree. People started running past him, no longer elated at the sight of the hero. Chat's brow furrowed when he saw the Akuma down the street, standing the next block over. Chat jumped to a nearby roof to collect his thoughts and wait for Ladybug to appear.

This was the third Akuma attack this week and he'd ignored them or spent his time diverting people away from the attack. Perhaps this time he would make an appearance? He'd been rather curious about what Ladybug would have to say to him if he showed up again. The smirk that spread across his face at the thought only widened when Ladybug came bounding into view and right up to the Akuma. She dodged this way and that, dancing around the Akuma's attacks.

Chat Noir moved to join Ladybug but stopped short. The smirk falling from his face in an instant. Who's that? Was it a second Akuma?! No... this one was _helping_ Ladybug! Was she... _another_ _hero_?

Chat couldn't look away. His anger twisted violently inside his chest. The feeling forced his heart to beat in the back of his throat, making his head throb with every pulsation. Sweaty palms, racing heart, everything felt hot, he couldn't get enough air. Chat gripped his chest trying to calm himself enough to keep from passing out.

The heroine wore orange and white. She looked like the Akuma that he and Ladybug had fought named Volpina! Had she changed her ways? Was she a good-guy now? He had his doubts but who else could it be?

Chat Noir hadn't looked away even once during the whole battle. Then, as the purified butterfly drifted away on the wind he saw something he could never forgive. Ladybug extended her arm towards the new hero... they bumped fists. A rage unlike any other burst out of Chat Noir. He let a deafening roar tear through his throat. How could Ladybug forget him so easily?!

Ladybug and the Volpina lookalike jerked around to face him, still a block away. He saw Ladybug begin to rush towards him but he was too fast and too far away. He vanished before she even got close.

oOo

Adrien lay on his back, motionless amongst the wreckage that was once his bedroom. The couch was overturned and the cushions had been torn to shreds. The neatly organized shelves once filled with books were now bare, marred by the claws of the black beast that tore them down. Miscellaneous pages from destroyed books littered the room along with the reflective shards of shattered discs. The tiny fragments glittered like diamonds on his bedroom floor as the last rays of the sun shined through his window.

No one bothered him there. No matter how he screamed, no matter what he broke, no matter what he did... he was alone. Perhaps he wanted someone to stop him? Maybe that would have been better? Nothing could console him now, not even Marinette. The thought of his Princess seeing him like this filled him with shame and made him feel worse. What would she think if she could see him right now?

He cried harder than he had in a long time, his sobs intertwining with his tortured screams.

Ladybug had replaced him...

oOo

It was Friday and Adrien sat through the whole day feeling rather disjointed. He should be feeling better now that he was back in action and occasionally getting to take cat naps at Marinette's place but he felt nothing. Adrien's energy had returned to him in full but he didn't have the desire to go out as Chat Noir anymore. What was he supposed to do with himself if he wasn't spending his free time as Chat Noir? The final bell rang and Adrien gathered his things.

"Hey, Nino," Adrien said as they walked out of the classroom. "we haven't gotten the chance to hang out in forever. Are you free today?"

"Oh man!" Nino rubbed the back of his neck a pained look on his face. "I would love to but I kinda already promised Alya I'd take her out."

"You say that like it's a chore," Alya said as she walked up to the two boys an eyebrow raised. Nino's spine stiffened and he looked back at her as she approached.

"N-no, no!" Nino corrected nervously. "It's not that! It's just that I haven't gotten to chill with Adrien in like forever and I guess he's free this weekend! Can he hang with us or would that be weird?"

"If he came with us, he'd just be a third wheel," Alya said tapping her chin, a mischievous simper curling her lips. "why don't we invite Marinette to come too? We haven't all hung out together in a long time! And Adrien would have someone to talk to, just in case."

"That sounds good to me!" Adrien smiled though it felt just a little bit forced. He wanted to get his mind off of things and hanging out with his friends felt like the best way to accomplish that.

Marinette had come walking through the front doors to the school and looked over at the sound of her name. She froze in place when she heard what Alya said. Before she could scamper away Alya called her over.

"What do you say Marinette?" Alya pressed her, nodding her head as if to imply that Marinette should simply mimic the motion. She did so, nodding her head slowly up and down.

"Great!" Adrien smiled more genuinely, truly excited to spend a day out with his friends. His father's car pulled up to the front of the school. "It's a date then! I gotta go tell my driver what's up!"

After a bit of persuading Adrien managed to convince his driver to leave without him. It wasn't so hard since his father really had taken a step back and relinquished his grip on him. Perhaps this was his father's way of ensuring he didn't run away again? Or perhaps this was all just an illusion? He knew his father would be watching him from somewhere, somehow. Adrien didn't want to think about that now, he just wanted to believe – even if it was for only a single moment – that he was just a normal guy hanging out with his friends.

Alya tried most of the evening to get Marinette to talk but every time she opened her mouth she seemed unable to form any sort of coherent sentence. Adrien sighed to himself feeling a bit crestfallen. He really wished that Marinette could talk to him the way she talked to Chat Noir. He even tried a few times to bring up topics that he knew Marinette liked just to try and make her feel more comfortable. It worked, albeit rather briefly.

They ate dinner and all went to see a movie. The evening had been a good distraction for Adrien. Trying to stave off the feeling he got when the pit in his stomach every time he thought about Ladybug and... He shook his head as they exited the theater. It was nearly impossible to keep his mind away from it.

Adrien stood outside the theater with his friends making idle conversation about the movie as they waited with him for his driver to arrive. Nathalie had texted him during dinner telling him that he was not to walk home. He relented, at least they were letting him have some semblance of freedom, illusion or not.

"... but seriously!" Alya said as the conversation of the Akuma attack the day before come up. "Did you guys see?! There's a new hero! I wonder who she is? She looked so cool yesterday!"

"Yeah, what was her name again?" Nino added obviously pandering Alya who didn't seem to notice or care.

"Her name is Rena Rouge!" Alya sighed and shook her head. "How many times will I have to tell you?!"

"That depends," Nino said, a smug look on his face. "how many times would you like to keep saying it?"

"You must be pretty upset, Alya," Marinette interjected as Alya glared at Nino. "I mean, it was Rena Rouge's first appearance and you didn't get to film it!"

"Well, you know," Alya said dismissively, shrugging her shoulders. "I am but I can't dwell on it... I really just want to get all of your opinions! What about you Adrien? What do you think of Paris's new heroine?"

"Me?" Adrien felt the heat rising under his collar. He knew exactly what he thought but he couldn't tell them that... "Oh well... I don't know, I just hope Chat Noir is okay."

"Chat Noir?" Alya's chipper mood visibly dampened at the mention of the hero. "W-what do you mean?"

"I don't know about you guys," Adrien said as his ride came into view and stopped at the light a couple blocks away. He tucked his hands into his pockets and stared determinedly at the car. "but I'd be really hurt if I got replaced like that. I mean, it's not like he disappeared completely. He was still around! He was still helping people! Why did Ladybug have to replace him?! How cruel can you be?"

Before any of them could respond, an explosion erupted from inside the theater. The force of the explosion knocking Adrien and his friends off their feet. It was another Akuma. Walking out into the street through the hole in the wall that he'd created with his arm that resembled a futuristic cannon. He was obviously a fan of the superhero in the movie that was currently playing at the theater. He shouted at passersby about continuity errors and shot his cannon at several buildings and parked vehicles.

Adrien stood up and got his barrings in just enough time to hear the Akuma shouting at someone nearby. He held the side of his head, his ears still ringing when he realized... the Akuma had Marinette cornered and was pointing his cannon right at her. Without thinking, Adrien launched himself into action. Closing the distance between himself and the Akuma in a split second, he threw his shoulder into him, knocking him several paces back. His cannon misfired, hitting the building next to Marinette.

Crouched low, Adrien faced the Akuma. His fingers spread and curled like claws, his shoulders hunched, the intensity of his scowl piercing the gaze of the Akuma. Marinette stood dumbfounded by the sudden rescue. She was sure that she heard Adrien growling but perhaps it was just the ringing in her ears. The Akuma stalked forward once again raising his cannon to point at Adrien.

Adrien held out a hand to keep Marinette behind him protectively. He stood up straighter looking the Akuma squarely in the eye. Marinette found herself confused even further when Adrien spoke.

"You will not hurt my friends!" Adrien hissed. At that moment the outline of a moth glowed around the eyes of the Akuma. Adrien repeated himself. This time he raised his voice as loud as he could while trying to keep his words somewhat coherent. There was a deadly threat in his tone and posture. Marinette had never seen Adrien like this before. It almost scared her. "I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT MY FRIENDS!"

The Akuma seemed to struggle for a moment before turning away and wandering off down the street to terrorize some other people. Without another word, Adrien turned and grabbed Marinette, practically carrying her away from the Akuma attack. He didn't let go of her until they were safely back inside the theater.

Adrien held Marinette tightly by the upper arms looking her over. She was still too stupefied to think of anything to say to him. He still looked on edge, glancing back over his shoulder. Nino and Alya were still out there somewhere...

"You're not hurt are you?" Adrien asked her intently squeezing her upper arms a little too tightly.

"N-no! I'm fine!" Marinette's words seemed to relax him just a bit, his intensity winding down. "Adrien you... you just faced-off with an Akuma!"

"Of course I did!" He said as though it were the simplest thing in the world. His grip tightened on her once more only this time he was pulling her into a hug. He couldn't stop himself. "I'd never let anything hurt you. I'll protect you no matter what."

Marinette could hardly breathe. Her arms wrapping around him in turn. _Funny,_ she thought to herself. _He reminds me a little bit of Chat..._ she shook her head. No, that was just silliness. Suddenly Adrien pulled away from her and he turned back to the entrance of the theater.

"You stay here, Marinette," the look of determination on his face made her simply nod her head. "I'll go find the others."

As soon as he was gone, so was Marinette. Ladybug had a job to do.


	12. Chapter 12: Whoops-A-Daisy

**In which, I sit and laugh maniacally as the world burns.**

* * *

Adrien ran out the doors of the theater intent on finding his friends. A strong pair of hands grabbed him unexpectedly. Adrien spun in place, trying to break free but the grip tightened and the strong hands lifted him into the air. It was then that he caught a glimpse of his bodyguard. Adrien groaned audibly and continued to struggle against the large man.

"You don't understand!" He shouted at the gorilla. "My friends need me! LET ME GO!"

The man said nothing as he unceremoniously shoved Adrien in the back seat and locked the doors. Since when had his father upgraded the car to have no inside handles?! Adrien threw his shoulder into the window trying desperately to get free but the car pulled away. He looked down at his ring, knowing this was the only way out.

"Adrien," Nathalie startled him out of his thoughts. Had she been there this whole time? "your father wants you home. Now. He is not happy with your unscheduled evening out."

"When is he ever actually happy about something?" Adrien gave her a blank stare. "I have to get out of here, my friends are still out there!"

"Your friends are perfectly safe," Nathalie said dismissively. "as long as they ran the other way when the Akuma came around."

"That's just it!" Adrien shot at her, his voice rising as he spoke. "I had to stop that Akuma from shooting his cannon-arm-thing at Marinette! If it wasn't for me, she'd be hurt really bad right now!"

"But she's safe now, yes?" Nathalie's expression didn't change, taking his rising temper in stride. "Your friends will be fine, Adrien."

Adrien looked back down at his ring. It was still a very real possibility but he wasn't sure that his bodyguard knew his family's secrets. Adrien debated with himself, not entirely convinced that he actually cared if anyone found out his identity anymore.

Sighing defeatedly, Adrien slouched back in his seat and let the car take him home. He didn't want to go but he was quite sure he had a choice in the matter. He resigned himself to pulling out his phone and texting his friends what had happened to him. None of them answered. Growing worried, he pulled up a live news feed of the Akuma attack... he immediately wished he hadn't.

Another new hero clad in green was there, fighting alongside Ladybug and Rena Rouge. When would it end? Would she just keep on adding new heroes to her team until she could freely pick and choose who she wanted to fight with that day? Were they assurance that what happened between her and Chat would never affect her in future partnerships? How was it she could push away anyone she decided she didn't like and replace them with someone new at will? He didn't know that she could call on new heroes... had she been the one to call him to be Chat Noir? Who else could get into his bedroom that high up? But if that were the case, wouldn't that mean she already knew who he was? If she knew he was Adrien then she wouldn't have been so keen on finding him when he was "kidnapped". Was it possible that there was someone else behind all of this?

Adrien shook his head to clear his thoughts. This was just too much to think about right now. Though he was completely devastated by the appearance of yet another hero – calling himself "Carapace" – Adrien was at least relieved to see that none of his friends had been in the crossfire. With the Akuma gone and his friend's texts coming in, one by one, he decided to let it go. He had other things to deal with now.

His driver pulled up in front of the house, the gate opening to let them in. Adrien stepped inside to find his father fuming at the top of the stairs. Gabriel looked down his nose at his son as he made his way to the foot of the stairs to face him.

"What were you thinking?" Gabriel hissed, his tone was deadly. "You could have gotten hurt!"

"What was I thinking?!" Adrien scoffed pressing his hand to his chest in a defensive manner. "You almost let that Akuma blast my friend to pieces! I wasn't going to stand by and let that happen! I won't let you hurt her!"

His father's eyes narrowed but then they softened, seeming more pained than anything. He pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to alleviate the tension headache forming behind his eyes.

"Go to your room, Adrien," was all he had left to say before turning and walking back down the hall. His tone had gone from deadly to defeated in a matter of moments.

Gabriel really couldn't find it in himself to argue with his son. He was the one who created that Akuma in the first place. He knew he needed to try harder not to create Akuma near his son. However, that was more difficult than it sounded. Gabriel thought of his son more often than not and his Akuma always followed his train of thought, latching onto a negative presence nearby. He was unintentionally putting his son in danger simply by thinking of him.

Adrien closed the door to his room and looked around at the spotless room. It had been a mess this morning, everything was torn to shreds and laying in disarray. During his time at school, his father must have had people come in and clean it, replacing all of the broken things with new things. New things just waiting to be broken too. But he restrained himself. It had felt good to destroy his room last night but today his sadness had deepened to something far more lonesome, quiet, and defeated. He didn't need to break anything tonight. He needed someone else to break his silence.

oOo

 _A scream in the distance. It jarred Ladybug out of her odd new reality. Rena Rogue and Ladybug turned to see the black figure of Chat Noir screaming at them from a block away. What was he doing here? Why was he screaming? Ladybug looked back at Rena for a moment then down at her fist. If he'd been watching the whole time... why was this the thing that set him off?_

 _Ladybug turned back to him and started out towards him. She had to reach him in time. She couldn't let him get away!_

 _Chat Noir was far faster than she had ever given him credit for. She stood at the spot where Chat had been, her hands clutching her sides._

 _He doesn't understand..._

 _ **He doesn't understand!**_

"HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND!" Marinette shot up in bed, a cold sweat trickling uncomfortably down her spine. She looked around the room frantically, searching for something that wasn't there. Tikki was next to her in a heartbeat. She was making a soothing sound like a mother would make to a crying child. "No! N-no! He doesn't understand! I have to find him!"

"Marinette!" Tikki sighed pressing a hug against Marinette's cheek. "He's not here."

The girl sat for a moment as the panic subsided, leaving an emptiness in its wake that echoed back in on itself. She felt as though she might crumble from the inside out and be torn to pieces, like a black hole. Marinette felt the emptiness so keenly that she couldn't stop her tears from trying to fill the void she herself had created. A void oddly shaped like Chat Noir.

It was getting late but Marinette hadn't slept well since her first battle alongside Rena Rogue. The evening with her friends hadn't quite gone according to plan earlier. The Akuma had been a rather unwelcome addition to her evening out. And she could hardly imagine what Chat Noir was thinking now that Carapace had joined her team.

Marinette had come home and crashed on her bed almost immediately. But not even her unexpected rescue by Adrien could permeate her dreams and save her from reliving her last memory of Chat Noir. Marinette felt as though she was getting exactly what she deserved.

Her worry for Chat Noir was keeping her awake and staring anxiously at the skylight above her bed. She had hoped so dearly that Chat Noir would come to see her last night but he didn't. For whatever reason, he stayed away and Marinette couldn't help but feel as though he would never come back. Why would he?

"I know he's not here Tikki..." Marinette said between her sobs. "I just wish I could tell him that I didn't replace him. I didn't ask for..."

There it was. The sound she had been dying to hear.

 _Tap, tap, tap..._

Tikki zoomed out of sight as Marinette rushed to the skylight and threw it open. She was breathless, her face flushed and stained with tears. The sight of Chat Noir crouching on her balcony just outside the skylight was too much. Marinette let out a sob and threw her arms around his neck.

Without question Chat wrapped himself around her, holding her tightly to his chest. He stood up, lifting her onto the roof as he did so. She sobbed into his neck, clinging to him as tightly as she could. Her fingers dug into his shoulders but he didn't mind. He pressed his cheek against hers, suppressing his own tears. He came here to check on her, not laden her with his troubles... again.

"You're okay," Chat whispered in her ear, his arms still holding her firmly. "I'm here, Princess."

"Chat!" Marinette cried with a loud sob. "I s-saw you scream from the r-rooftop on Thursday! I've been so worried about you!"

"Y-you..." Chat felt his hold on her slacken. He wanted to turn into dust and blow away in the wind but Marinette kept him grounded. His voice was impossibly quiet. "you saw that?"

"Chat, are you okay?!" her tears... Chat had assumed that they were from being threatened by the Akuma earlier that night but he was wrong. Her tears were for him. "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be silly, Marinette," Chat said sadly. He couldn't pretend he wasn't upset. Marinette was the only person he could ever share his true feelings and thoughts with, even if it was under the guise of a different face and name. "that's not your fault. I was the one who waited too long... I guess this is what happens when you go on strike as a hero. You don't get better pay and more vacation time, you just get replaced by two new heroes. This is what I get for not signing up with the heroes union."

"Chat Noir!" Marinette scolded pulling away from him just enough to look him in the eyes. "this isn't something to joke about! It's not a laughing matter!"

"I... I know..." Chat sighed, his breath creating a fog that drifted heavily on the breeze. The sky opened up then and tiny droplets of rain started scattering across the rooftops. "Let's go inside..."

Marinette stepped down into her room closely followed by Chat. He closed the hatch behind them. He followed Marinette over to her bedroom door but stopped when she lifted it open. He looked at her apprehensively.

"Will your parents be okay with me dropping in like this?" he asked. It was rather late but it was also a weekend so maybe it didn't matter?

"Don't worry about it," Marinette said, a smile barely touching the corners of her mouth. "My parents are away for the weekend. One of my mom's old friends invited them out to her villa in the countryside."

"Oh, that sounds nice," Chat followed her down the steps to the living space below. "May I ask why you didn't go with them?"

"I wasn't feeling very well so I stayed home," Marinette shrugged. It was only a little bit of a fib. She wasn't feeling great but it was due to lack of sleep and she couldn't leave because Hawkmoth had been more active since Chat had returned home. If she had gone with them, the Akuma's would have simply run amuck.

"If you're not feeling well, I can go," Chat offered though he hoped she would tell him to stay. "I don't want you to feel like you have to entertain me just because I decided to show up."

"No, no," Marinette waved her hand at him dismissively. "I don't want you to leave! You're always welcome here."

Marinette reached up into a cupboard and pulled down a neatly wrapped package. It was a bundle of cookies. She motioned for him to follow her and he did so.

Marinette set the cookies on the coffee table and scooted onto the couch making room for Chat to sit with her. He curled up next to Marinette. Feeling confident, he stayed close resting his head on her shoulder. It was strange, he felt so much closer to her now even though they hadn't seen each other in a while... well, not like this anyway. Perhaps he felt that way because he wished he was actually this close to someone? He needed someone to be near him right now. He needed someone to want him near. If he was being honest with himself, he had been needing this for a while.

He felt Marinette lean her cheek against the top of his head. She pulled a spare blanket from the arm of the couch and draped it over them. They sat together for a while, simply being close and snacking on cookies. It was more than comforting for Chat. All he wanted was to stay there with her forever.

"Chat..." Marinette's tone was quiet and cautious. He hummed in response. "are you okay?"

It was strange how off guard that question caught him. Marinette had a way of doing that to him, he noticed. This was just like when he first came back to school. No one had bothered to ask him how he was feeling or if he was okay... no one except Marinette. The words caught in his throat.

"I-I'm fine?" he berated himself for stating it as a question. "I, uh, don't know exactly what you're referring to."

"Chat," Marinette turned to look at him more fully. Her shoulder moved away making him lift his head to look at her. There were still tears in her eyes. "I want you to tell me the truth... don't hold anything back just because I'm a civilian or because you want to spare me from whatever! I need to know! Please, Chat, tell me... how are you doing?"

Chat felt like a small child being called out on a lie. His cat ears laid back and his eyes grew wide. How was he supposed to respond? He couldn't tell her the whole truth... could he? He wouldn't burden Marinette with something so trivial... would he? Or was it trivial at all? No... Not to her. He could see it in her eyes, how much she cared about Chat Noir. That was a look he got so seldom he'd almost forgotten what it was like to be on the receiving end of it. He sat thunderstruck for several seconds. His hand found its way up to push his hair out of his eyes as his breathing became more labored. Chat began to panic.

Marinette reached up and cupped his face in her hands. The tears trickled down his mask, following the curve of her palms to his chin. When had he started crying? Chat pulled away from her suddenly, wiping his face on his sleeve as he turned away. He had to get it under control, he couldn't cry in front of her! What kind of hero was he?

Then the weight of her arms draped themselves over his shoulders and he felt her press against his back. He lost it. Chat turned and reached behind her, pulling her into a half cradled position in his lap. He cried into her shoulder and clung to her in his desperation. Chat wanted her to think he was strong, the princely black cat from her story. For her to think of him as anything less was simply unacceptable, but he couldn't stop himself.

"Marinette..." he sobbed quietly pulling her even closer. "I'm sorry... I'm s-sorry..."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, mon Chaton," Marinette said quietly, one hand rubbing his back soothingly, the other running fingers through his hair.

"I should be s-stronger th-than this..." Chat shook his head still pressing his face into her shoulder. He was sure he was soaking her shirt. "it j-just hurts-o much..."

"You have been more than strong enough," her voice hummed in his ear. The sound wrought goosebumps over his skin and made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. "let it out."

"Ladybug replaced me!" he cried out at long last. His body shaking with his sobs. "She said she could do it without me but then she just replaced me! I mean nothing to her! Nothing at all! I was going to go back! I was going to talk to her and try and sort things out but then... she... replaced me... how could she do that to me?"

Marinette didn't offer him any words of comfort. She didn't say anything at all but her very presence there with him was affirmation enough. Chat needed her to listen, he needed to know he wasn't wrong in feeling this way. Sitting in the dimly lit room surrounded by warmth and acceptance, Chat Noir finally confessed his pain.

Once started, Chat's tears seemed to have no end. He cradled her so close that he was sure he was crushing her or at the very least making her uncomfortable. It wasn't until Marinette tried to adjust her seating that he finally released her from his grasp. Chat leaned back against the couch cushion, his hands wiping away at his face. His head ached and he felt a little light headed from crying so much. How long had he been there with her?

Chat looked around for a clock. It was almost one in the morning. They'd been sitting there for nearly two hours! He turned his attention back to Marinette as she adjusted in her seat. Chat Noir observed her face, taking in the puffiness of her own eyes and the dark rings around them. She looked so tired.

"I can go," Chat said, his voice a little hoarse. "you must be really tired."

"I don't want to be alone," she said sleepily with a yawn. "You can stay here, with me... if you want to."

She curled up against his chest and he felt his heart might explode. This girl was truly something else. Something in her tone made him feel certain that she meant that she didn't want _him_ to be alone and the thought made his heart swell even more.

"I-I'll stay then," Strange though it was, Chat suddenly found himself nervous to be around her. His cheeks heating up with the blush he knew was inevitable. "b-but only because you don't w-want to be alone."

Chat lifted her in his arms and carried her to her bed. Luckily her blankets were still on the floor from when she shot out of bed to let him in. He laid her down and pulled the covers up to tuck her in. Marinette took his hand before he turned away. She scooted over to the far side of her bed and tugged at his hand gently.

"Y-you want me to..." he gaped at her. Was she really doing what he thought she was doing? Or was she going to slug him in the face if he tried to climb into bed with her?

"I said I don't want to be alone," was her only reply. She released his hand and waited.

Chat could swear he had started to melt from the amount of heat steaming out from under his collar. Why was he so gosh darn nervous?! It's not like anything weird was going to happen! Marinette wasn't that kind of girl! He shook his head to clear his thoughts, a moment later he began climbing into the bed next to her.

Marinette curled up next to him under the covers, resting her head on his shoulder and draping her arm over his chest. Several minutes passed and Chat eventually calmed down enough to remember how sleepy he was. He turned his head to the side and rest his cheek against her. The smell of her hair filled his nose and he turned farther into it until he was pressing his lips to her forehead. He kissed it.

Marinette pulled back just enough to look at him. Chat suddenly realized that was a rather inappropriate thing to do whilst laying in bed beside her. He barely had time to panic over the consequences before she leaned forward and returned the gesture in kind, only favoring his cheek instead.

"Goodnight, silly Chaton," she breathed as she rested her head on the pillow next to him.

"Goodnight, my Princess," he whispered back, he watched her face as he spoke, her lips turning into a light smile at the nickname. Not a minute passed before Marinette fell fast asleep. Chat watched her fondly as he waited for sleep to take him too.

The next morning he opened his eyes blinking and yawning and stretching the sleep away. He looked over to where Marinette lay and smiled at her. Her eyes were wide but he figured she might have forgotten that she'd invited him to stay with her. After a moment of staring Marinette parted her soft pink lips and knocked the wind out of Chat Noir with a single word.

...

...

...

"Adrien?"


	13. Chapter 13: All That Glitters

**In which, good times were almost had.**

* * *

"Adrien?" Marinette's eyes were practically popping out of her head as she stared at where Chat Noir had been laying just a few hours ago. What on earth was going on?!

The blonde haired boy froze at the name, his smile dropping slightly. Suddenly the smile returned with full force and he rolled onto his side to face her more fully.

"W-what about him?" Chat asked, wondering if maybe she was just seeing a slight resemblance between them. "He's doing okay, isn't he? He hasn't been reported as kidnapped again has he?" the unamused expression on his face wasn't received quite as he had thought it would be. Marinette was still having a hard time finding her words but managed to shake her head "no".

Without warning, she lifted her hand towards his face. Chat watched as her fingertips touched his cheek, turning his face into her hand as she traced an invisible line up to his temple. He lifted his own hand to grasp her wrist and pressed a kiss to her palm. After everything she had done for him, how could he not... The tiny intake of breath she made when he kissed her hand made him smile warmly.

"Well, I hope you were able to get enough rest last night, Princess," Chat smiled at her the look of shock and awe still etched into her every feature. He reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from her cheek when he finally noticed... his hand was bare.

Holding his hand in front of his face as though it were some kind of foreign object his eyes grew wider and wider, realization dawning. He wasn't Chat Noir... he was Adrien. A muddled sound escaped him that was reminiscent of a silent scream and a moan. He began touching his face and looking around frantically at the same time, he lifted the blankets to cover his face as though that would help in some way. At least she couldn't see him panic.

"Plagg!" Adrien called in a harsh whisper as if calling for his kwami in such a way would make it so that Marinette couldn't hear him. "Plaaaagg! Where are you?!"

"I'm here..." Plagg had been sitting on Marinette's computer desk and came floating up to the loft with his little arms crossed over his chest. He looked upset with his tiny cat ears sitting back at forty-five's.

"Plagg! What the heck?!" Adrien started to interrogate the spirit but Plagg cut him short.

"Did you think I was joking?!" Plagg growled at the boy who was peeking out from beneath the covers. Marinette looked on, still speechless as she connected all the dots in her mind. There was a lot to sort through. "Every time you come here to take a nap or do... whatever it is that you do here, I always tell you not to push it! I've told you so many times that I'm not going to drain my powers to keep you transformed until you wake up! I did it that ONE TIME because it was a life or death situation! This is not life or death! I wasn't going to keep you transformed past the limit again!"

"But you could have woken me up or something!" Adrien growled back, diving under the covers once again. "She saw me, Plagg! She saaaaw!"

Plagg visibly rolled his eyes at Adrien's whining. This kid was totally hopeless. Seriously, did he think he was joking all this time? Since when did Plagg have that kind of sense of humor? Since never, that's when.

"Yeah... that's not my job," Plagg offered as he floated away. "You guys figure this out. I'm going to raid the fridge."

"Plagg! That's not..." Adrien tried to stop him but it was too late. Plagg was gone and Adrien was left alone with Marinette. He couldn't even look at her.

"Adrien?" Marinette said quietly after a few minutes of tortured silence. He jumped at the sound but kept the blanket over his head. He hummed in response, unable to trust himself to actually form words. "Chat Noir wasn't kidnapped... he ran away from home and my Papa found him in the back alley... Has it really been you this whole time?"

"Y... yes?" he cringed at how his voice wavered. Adrien stiffened when he felt the blankets being slowly drawn down off of his face. The gentle look of concern in her eyes made his face even warmer than it already was.

"Chaton?" her voice was still just above a whisper, as though she were afraid that if she spoke any louder she might break him completely. Their eyes met for a long second and he found he couldn't look away.

"It's me, Princess," it was so strange to say those words to her without the mask. She knew far more than she should and it scared him. What was going to change? What was going to happen now? Would she be angry with him for keeping this secret? Was she hurt that he hadn't trusted her with everything? Would they still be... friends? Perhaps making light of things wasn't the way to go but it was the only thing he knew how to do. "I guess your magic tears turned this black cat into a prince after all. At least, I hope I'm a prince. I didn't turn into a frog, did I?"

Marinette sat up, rubbing her eyes as they misted over. She didn't even hear his joke. The amount of hurt she'd caused him... everything was her fault... she was the worst friend ever... any illusions she had of Chat Noir were shattered in an instant. He wasn't a distant figure. He was someone close, someone she cared deeply for... someone she loved. The idea that she had hurt him over and over and over, the realization that she didn't really know Adrien at all... it was too much. She began to sob into her hands.

"W-whoa, hey! Marinette!" Adrien sat up confused by her sudden tears. _This is it..._ he thought to himself, _I've broken her..._ "What's wrong...?"

"Everything!" she slammed her fists into the mattress on either side of her making Adrien jump. Oh, she was angry... this wasn't good. Was she angry at him? Or... something else? It was probably him...

"I... I'm sorry!" Adrien cried and lifted his arms defensively. "I couldn't tell you! I'm so, so sorry!"

"Not you!" Marinette sobbed still wiping the tears that gushed down her cheeks. "Everything that's happened to you! It's all wrong! Why?! So much! Just everything! Just why?! How have you been dealing with this all on your own?!"

Not all of her sentences made much sense on their own but he knew exactly what she was talking about. The feeling she was questioning, the one she was trying to explain, was the same one that caused him to destroy the partition wall in the attic... and everything in his bedroom. It was the untellable devastation within him that had broken him and now it was breaking her too. Guilt washed over him. He did this to her.

"I wasn't on my own... I had you," he whispered his head hanging low. Adrien clutched at his chest with his arms trying to hold himself together. "I'm so sorry for putting this on you Marinette..."

"Don't you dare!" she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Don't you dare apologize! I told you I'm here for you no matter what! I'm the one who should be sorry! And I am... I'm so sorry..."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Princess," Adrien said quietly, he hugged her back but couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he had in the back of his mind. Why was she sorry?

"No, Adrien," she cried into his shoulder. "I should have known! I should have realized a long time ago! I should have been a better friend to you! If only... If only I'd..." she couldn't finish it... she couldn't tell him she was Ladybug. She choked on her words and sobbed instead.

"Marinette," Adrien smiled sadly pressing his cheek against her hair. "you're the only normal thing left in my life. No one knows me like you do, not even Nino... Maybe it was just coincidence that I ended up in your alley, but I'm so glad I've gotten to know you. I really hope that... that won't change now that you know it's me... will it?"

"I... I'll try my best not to let things change..." Marinette pulled out of the hug as her sobs settled into small hiccups. She wiped her face on her sleeve. "I promise."

"I'm sorry I had to keep my identity from you... hero stuff..." Adrien shrugged, he wasn't sure he'd ever felt this awkward in his whole life.

"No, I understand that. I just... I'm having a hard time trying to fit Chat Noir and Adrien into the same box, is all," Marinette laughed lightly, also feeling the awkward air between them. "I think I'm gonna need a bigger box."

"Yes," Adrien said suddenly making Marinette tilt her head in question. He hunched his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck. That was probably a strange response. "It's... embarrassing but I sorta ended up with some cat-like tendencies and well... Chat Noir kinda loves boxes."

Marinette couldn't contain the laugh that bubbled up inside her chest. She couldn't help picturing Chat Noir hunkered down in a box like an actual cat. It was laughably adorable.

"H-hey!" Adrien protested but he couldn't help but laugh too. It was a bit ridiculous. "Okay, I suppose that's kinda funny."

"Kinda?" Marinette teased, lightening the mood even more. "I just pictured you in a large cardboard box that says 'Free to Good Home' written on the side. This is basically the funniest thing ever. Is that something you do in your spare time, Chaton? Find random boxes to sit in?"

"Well, it's not the _only_ thing I do..." Adrien felt the blush on his cheeks deepen. He wasn't used to being teased like this as Adrien but he was quickly realizing how much he liked it. "I mean, sometimes, if I'm desperate, I'll pay random strangers to use a red laser pen so I can chase it around for a while."

"Do you catch birds and leave them at your doorstep too?" Marinette giggled as Adrien scoffed.

"Of course not!" Adrien said in mock superiority, turning his nose up at the idea. "I'm allergic to feathers."

"Imagine that," Marinette chided a smile still on her face. "a cat that's allergic to feathers."

"No one's perfect, Princess," Adrien huffed. "not even me."

They laughed together as they got up and made their way downstairs. It was mid-morning but Marinette made them a quick breakfast of eggs and toast. Adrien was more than happy to help but was told to sit and wait at the table after dropping the second egg. He ate his breakfast, getting ribbed by Marinette all the while for dropping the eggs.

"I wonder..." Marinette said, tapping her chin with her finger thoughtfully as she leaned back in her chair. "how are your skills at UMS 3? Still lacking? Or have you actually gotten good since the last time we played?"

"I might have played once or twice in my spare time," Adrien shrugged, ignoring the jab she made at him. In all honesty, it was all he did when he was supposed to be sleeping this past week.

"I'll play you," she challenged, a competitive twinkle in her eye. "winner takes all. I bet the lives of all three of your future children that I currently own, against Chat Noir Jr."

"But Chat Jr. is my favorite! She's gonna look just like me!" Adrien protested. "What if I lose all of my kittens?! What will my future wife say?!"

"I imagine she'd be pretty upset," Marinette gave him a one-sided grin. It was easy to talk to Adrien if she thought of him as Chat Noir, which wasn't hard to do when he responded in a Chat-like manner. "Well? What do you say?"

"Hmm," he grumbled for a moment before finally replying. "yeah okay, fine! I'm just saying it now though, I'm NOT going to let you win!"

The battle raged on for nearly a full twenty minutes. Marinette was biting the tip of her tongue in concentration. She was winning but not by much. They remained focused, staring intently at the t.v. screen. Adrien was fighting harder than he ever had, resolute on winning, he'd do anything at all. Marinette started to pull farther ahead after that last combo. Adrien grit his teeth and did something desperate.

Reaching over he smacked her controller out of her hands and took the opportunity to finish off her character and win the match. Adrien glanced sideways at her, biting back the laugh that was on the cusp of an eruption. The look on her face was one of shock mingled with rage, her mouth hanging open in absolute disbelief. Did he really just do that?

"You _cheated_!" Marinette cried pointing from her controller to the t.v. then back to the controller. "You lose by default!"

"No, I don't!" Adrien interjected, crossing his arms over his chest. "I never said I'd play fair and you never said I had to!"

"I didn't think I had to tell you to play fair!" Marinette growled. "General rules were implied!"

"Implied but never stated," Adrien shrugged, a mischievous simper curling his lips. "I'm not bound by your unspoken rules. I won. I even told you I wouldn't let you win. That was basically a warning that I was going to cheat from the get-go."

An exasperated sound escaped her as she crossed her arms over her chest. Marinette huffed out a sigh, he was technically right. Adrien leaned in close, his Cheshire grin still in place as he waited. His closeness was irritating Marinette... mostly that smile.

"Fine," Marinette said throwing her hands in the air. "I relinquish ownership of your future children."

"YES!" Adrien jumped up from the couch throwing his fists in the air in celebration. He did a silly little dance and Marinette couldn't help but giggle and grin. "Laugh all you want! I got all my kittens back!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Marinette stood from the couch to retrieve her controller. "You better enjoy that feeling while it lasts. I'm about to take it all back and then some!"

They continued playing, Marinette making sure to keep her controller well out of arms reach of Adrien. She beat him sorely over and over until he couldn't bear it anymore. Luckily he had declined her offer to bet her future children against his. He would have lost them all over again.

By lunchtime, the air had cleared completely and things were looking up for Adrien. It was almost like a huge weight had been lifted off of him. The lightheartedness and joviality of their friendship was so uplifting he felt sure he could fly. Adrien hadn't even realized how much pressure he was under until Marinette dug him out and set him free. He might have been a hero of Paris but she was his hero. Nothing could put a damper on his mood.

Just as Marinette had started searching the fridge for what to make for lunch, there was a knock at the door. Marinette walked over and unlocked the door, pulling it open. Her blood ran cold as she looked up into the stern face of nonother than Gabriel Agreste...


	14. Chapter 14: Cornered

**Thanks to everyone for all of your encouraging comments! (You know who you are~) I wish you all happy reading!**

* * *

Gabriel quietly surveyed the room, his eyes coming to a standstill as they met with Adrien's. The world was impossibly quiet, the silence deafening. An eternity passed, no one moved, no one spoke. At long last Gabriel turned to head back down the stairs, his eyes still on his son.

"It's time to come home, Adrien," Gabriel began walking down the steps, not waiting to see if Adrien would follow but simply knowing his son wouldn't dare refuse him.

The door to the entrance all closed and the two teens took a collective breath. Marinette turned to look at Adrien, her brows knitted together in worry. She couldn't tell him to forget his father and just stay there with her, no matter how she wanted to. She wasn't so much of a wiseacre that she believed to know everything that went on in Adrien's life behind closed doors. If anything, she knew – now more than ever – that she knew next to nothing about him. But he was her friend, and that was all she needed to know.

Adrien looked at Marinette as the door clicked shut behind his father. His expression was unreadable. Was it terror she saw in his eyes? Adrien wanted to apologize. He wanted to tell her that coming here was a mistake, that he'd just put her in very real danger. He wanted to tell her that he wouldn't let anything happen to her but it was no use. His could hardly breath and his voice had stopped working.

Standing from the couch where he'd been seated, he walked around to the front door. Pausing for only a moment to look Marinette in the eye once more.

"Don't try and contact me..." he managed to whisper through clenched teeth. His body felt stiff, every fiber of his being rejecting the idea of leaving this place. Gabriel had pervaded in upon his son's safe place and it left him shaken to the core. Gabriel never left his house for any reason. Despite what he thought Gabriel was capable of, Adrien knew in his heart of hearts that his father's appearance here was a silent threat. It sent a simple message, one that resonated within him, _Obey me_. "everything will be okay... I promise..."

"Adrien..." Marinette breathed his name as he walked out the door and down the steps. He didn't look back.

Adrien climbed into the car, hardly daring to breathe. Everything was silent as the car took them home. His father didn't even look at him. It made Adrien even more uncomfortable that if his father had started lecturing him. It made him feel exceedingly small and insignificant. The car lurched to a stop outside the house and Adrien followed his father inside. The front door closing ominously behind him, he didn't feel safe here. He wanted to run away, back to Marinette. He felt Plagg press himself against his chest from inside his shirt pocket but the gesture held little comfort for him.

"Adrien," Gabriel spoke at long last as he continued through the doors on the left that lead to the front office. He paused to look back at his son who had stopped following him just inside the front doors. "come with me. There's something I need to show you."

If Adrien had been asked to guess what his father was about to show him, he wouldn't have guessed this. The Atrium was dark but an interlocking metal gate shrunk back on itself to reveal the window and flood a portion of the room with light. The white butterflies lifted off the ground in the presence of light, fluttering around the seemingly empty rotunda. Adrien stood just outside the circle of light, enveloped by the surrounding darkness.

"Contrary to what you might think. I'm not angry about you disappearing last night..." Gabriel said simply as he stood amidst the butterflies. He wasn't looking at Adrien, instead, his gaze steadily watched the city beyond the window. "But I would advise against Chat Noir going to visit Miss Marinette again. The more you see her the higher the risk that she will find out your identity." Adrien shifted uncomfortably but his father was still facing away from him and didn't see. "The last thing I want is for someone innocent to learn too much and end up getting hurt because of it. Though, I imagine you find that rather hard to believe."

Adrien remained quiet, listening to what his father was saying. He didn't seem angry. He wasn't yelling, he seemed calm, sad even. Thinking back, Adrien noted that his father had been more melancholy since he'd revealed his identity to him only two weeks ago. Adrien would have felt bad for him if it weren't for the underlying threats his father was making. How could someone simultaneously be both sad and threatening?

"Please, believe me when I say that this isn't what I wanted," Gabriel's professional tone wavered, his back still to his son. Extending his arms out to either side he called on his transformation. "Nooroo! Dark wings, rise!"

The butterflies landed on him, swirling into his transformation before bursting outwards in a flash of light. Adrien's spine went rigid, his muscles contracting. He hadn't exactly been expecting this. Nails already digging into his palms, dug deeper as Adrien clenched his fists even harder. He was so tense he felt he might actually rupture an internal organ.

"There is going to be an Akuma attack today," Hawkmoth finally turned his head just enough to look back at Adrien, still standing in the shadows. "I would like for Chat Noir to deliver a simple message to Ladybug for me. If you would?" before Adrien could inquire, Hawkmoth held up a hand. "You don't have to fight her, just giver her a verbal message."

"W-what message?" Adrien crossed his arms defensively. He couldn't exactly say no to his father, not after almost openly threatening Marinette. Adrien would do whatever was necessary to keep Marinette and her family safe. Delivering a message wouldn't be so hard, right?

oOo

Ladybug stood panting as the little white butterfly disappeared into the sky. Chat Noir had watched the battle from the sidelines. This Akuma had been more terrifying than most of the others he'd faced in the past. It had been a city firefighter keen on setting the whole city ablaze after he'd been retired due to what he believed was an insignificant injury. Chat had actually almost been dragged into the battle once or twice but managed to remain out of sight – and un-singed – until the end.

Chat was hardly surprised to see that a third new hero had appeared. The sight of the black and yellow heroine did nothing but provoke his ire. As Ladybug and the others shared a four-way fist bump Chat Noir walked out into the street, clapping his hands in mock praise. They turned to look at him, all of them freezing where they stood.

"Ch-Chat Noir!" Ladybug croaked, the name sticking in her throat like sandpaper. She wanted nothing more than to run to him and throw her arms around him but she steadied her impulse. Something was wrong.

"You told me to leave. You implied that I was unnecessary, said you could fight the Akumas alone..." Chat tapped his chin as he surveyed the three new heroes standing behind Ladybug. "I could be wrong... but I think you lied to me. You don't want to fight alone, you just don't want _me_ as your partner."

"Chat, no!" Ladybug cried taking several steps forward. "This isn't-"

"Isn't what?!" Chat yelled at her causing the other three to gather around Ladybug defensively. "This isn't what it _looks like_? After all this time that's all you have to say?!" Chat's laugh was unsettling, manic almost. Ladybug pushed through the three heroes and motioned for them to stay back as she once again approached Chat Noir. This was her battle.

"I'm sorry I lied to you!" Ladybug cried, as her earrings beeped for the second time. "I need you Chat! I always have! I always will! Please come back! I'm sorry!"

"Well, maybe you should have realized that sooner..." Chat growled, his voice low. "Even if I wanted to come back, I can't. Hawkmoth won't allow it."

"What do you mean, he won't allow it?" Queen Bee interjected placing her hands on her hips defiantly. Ladybug motioned for her to stop talking but Chat looked her in the eye.

"How is any of this your business, New- _bee_?" Chat chided her, causing her to visibly blanch at the name jab. He turned back to Ladybug. "He sent me here with a message for you."

"He s-sent you?" Ladybug was on edge as Chat stepped forward and leaned close to her ear.

"He wants to meet with you, face to face," Chat whispered. Ladybug let out a small gasp. "He said to meet him tonight at the Eiffel Tower and you'd better come alone. He only wants to talk." Chat leaned back and saw the look on Ladybug's face. The wheels in her head were turning, she was forming some kind of plan, he could tell.

"Chat, what happened to you?" Ladybug asked reaching out and taking his arm as he started to walk away. Chat pulled his arm from her grip and looked back at her. "Please let me help you!"

"Funny, isn't it?" Chat said as he pulled out his baton. "You didn't want me when I was at your beck and call. So, I gave you what you wanted. I left and suddenly you want to pretend to be hurt like you ever actually cared about me... I have to go. I've done my part and I delivered my father's message." Chat bit his tongue, he didn't mean to say that!

"Hawkmoth is your father?!" Ladybug cried out desperately, Marinette behind the mask screamed for him to come clean. She wanted him to trust in her once again but she was short on time. The heroes behind her gasped collectively. Chat fumbled with his baton and stepped several paces back from her. He hadn't expected her to explode at him or for her to yell that so loudly. Would that get him in trouble? Was she endangering Marinette by shouting things so recklessly?! "Is he making you do this?! Is he threatening you?!"

"He... I..." Chat looked around like a scared kitten, clutching his baton to his chest. His voice quiet as he found his lungs unable to take in enough air. He was panicking. He had to give Marinette a safety net, a backup plan. "I can't let him hurt her... He threatened me with my friend earlier today! Marinette Dupain-Cheng... I-I'm going to be in so much trouble... but she's precious to me! You have to keep her safe! I will do whatever he says to keep her safe! I'm sorry..."

Without waiting for a response, Chat turned and ran, extending his baton to launch himself over the rooftops and back to where Hawkmoth waited. The heroes only had a moment to stand dumbstruck before their failing transformations drove them into hiding.

Chat Noir stood hunched several paces away from Hawkmoth. His expression was impassive but Chat could feel his father's dissatisfaction with every fiber of his being. Chat cringed as his father walked forward slowly, his cane tapping _metronomically_ as he approached. His eyes were on the floor, staring at his feet as Hawkmoth came to a stop in front of him. He stood for a minute, watching his son's spirit diminish under the weight of his gaze before he finally spoke.

"You couldn't have delivered the message more perfectly," Chat couldn't stop himself from glancing up into his father's face. Hawkmoth's one-sided grin made Chat's skin crawl. It was then that Chat realized the true message he'd delivered to Ladybug...

Chat Noir was under Hawkmoth's control.


	15. Chapter 15: Extenuation Circumstances

**This would have been posted yesterday but wasn't letting me upload. Sorry for the delay~**

* * *

"Alright, you guys understand the plan right?" Ladybug asked her new partners. They all nodded their heads in unison. They were all a bit shaken by Chat Noir's sudden appearance after the Akuma attack earlier and they all noticed a stark difference in Ladybug's demeanor since then. She was usually nice and upbeat but now she was downright militant. Rena was silently elected by the others to ask at least one of the questions they were all dying to know the answer to.

"Hey, um, Ladybug," Rena said cautiously rocking back and forth on her feet nervously. Ladybug looked at her impatiently. "we were kind of curious... well, what happened between you and Chat Noir... exactly?"

Ladybug's jaw visibly clenched. The look in her eyes intensified then turned to hurt, misting over. She had to tell them the truth. They were helping her with Akuma, they deserved to know why their help was needed in the first place. Her stance broke and her shoulders slumped as she let out a sound that was a mix of a sigh and a sob.

"Do you guys know how... A-Adrien Agreste... went missing a couple weeks ago?" she didn't wait for a response. "I was out looking for him and I was really upset that I couldn't seem to find him. Well, Chat showed up to help me during the attack with Pompadoura and afterward... He... he came to me for help but I wouldn't listen to him because I was so worried about finding Adrien. I got mad at him and told him to go home because he was sick... and then I... I told him I could do everything without him. This whole thing is my fault... if only I'd listened to him that day... I could have done something to help him but now he's stuck in this situation and it's all my fault!"

"He said something about his friend Marinette..." Carapace said tapping his chin worriedly. "Do you guys remember what he said? Things were kinda moving fast and I didn't catch it all."

"Just like a turtle to be slow," Queen Bee said flicking her hair over her shoulder. Carapace frowned at her. "He said that his father threatened him with her earlier and that she was precious to him, or whatever. Then he told Ladybug to keep her safe before he ran away."

"What part does Marinette play in all of this?" Rena asked herself worriedly. Ladybug could see the cogs in her mind spinning. "Is she in danger? Does she know Chat Noir as Chat Noir? Or does she know him as a civilian? Or... both? If she knows him as Chat, how did they meet?"

"M-Marinette, um..." Ladybug said trying to stop Rena's train of thought before she got too carried away. "Chat and I met her a while back during an Akuma attack and Chat has saved her a couple of times since then. I don't know how long he's been going to see her but I know that he visits her in the evenings occasionally."

"Wait!" Rena said in alarm throwing her hands out to either side. "You mean to tell me that Chat Noir has been going to see Marinette and she never-"

"I only just found out about it recently!" Ladybug interjected, cutting off Rena's impromptu identity reveal. Rena gave Ladybug a small sheepish smile. "After my argument with Chat, I kinda kept tabs on him as he moved around the city as best I could. I noticed he visited her house a few times this past week."

"But why?" Carapace asked scratching his head in thought. "I mean, if he knew that Hawkmoth was his father, why would he risk putting a civilian in danger like that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Bee sighed, inspecting her nails. She glanced up a moment later to see everyone looking at her. "Well, think about it! Chat Noir was obviously upset that Ladybug blew him off when he needed someone to vent to. He knew Marinette already and she was possibly, like, the only choice he had to spill his guts to. He was probably using her as a buffer. Put yourself in his shoes, it's not that hard people." They stared at Bee in shock as she went back to inspecting her nails. "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

"But if he's been talking to Marinette about everything," Rena said suddenly looking out over the rooftops towards Marinette's house. "maybe she knows who Chat Noir is? Maybe she can help us figure out who Hawkmoth is!"

"Chat Noir never even revealed his identity to Ladybug," Carapace said crossing his arms over his chest. "I mean, I don't know the dude, but I don't know that he'd give up his secret so easily, you know?"

"But still!" Rena insisted. "What if there's some clue she could give us? Something Ladybug doesn't already know?" Ladybug was biting her lip, her guilt getting the better of her. This was all her fault. "Look, it's not night time yet, why don't we go ask her a few questions?"

"Do we all have to go?" Bee said with a small groan, her head lolling back slightly.

"There's no need," Ladybug said suddenly, a quiet sadness washing over her. "I already know who Hawkmoth is. I've known for a while. All you guys have to do is stick to the plan when he shows up tonight and everything will work out."

"Seriously?!" Rena Rouge perked up at the news. "Who is it?!"

"I would tell you," Ladybug said as she walked along the rooftop they'd congregated on. She looked out in the direction of Adrien's house and let out a soft sigh. "but that would reveal Chat's identity..."

"Like, that hardly matters in this situation," Bee said rolling her eyes. "Isn't this, I dunno, more important than identities, or something?"

"I know what you mean but..." Ladybug sat on the edge of the roof. "this isn't my secret to tell. Just, trust me..."

oOo

Adrien sat on the edge of his bed staring despondently at the wall. He knew Ladybug had some sort of trap set up for his father but he was no fool. Adrien knew that his father had no intention of showing up, not in person at least. He wondered what the insidious man had planned for the meeting. If he wouldn't go to the meeting himself then...

The sound of footsteps echoed beyond his door. Adrien didn't move. The sound came to a halt just outside. The sun was just starting to go down but the overcast sky muted the light, making everything gray. So this was it then... he was to be the messenger again. He turned his head slightly to look behind him when no one came in. Suddenly the footsteps moved away, becoming more distant by the second.

Plagg sat on his knee, unable to eat the Camembert that rested in his tiny paws. This was the first time Adrien had ever seen Plagg unable to eat anything. Adrien returned to his absent staring, trying not to let his despair consume him.

Perhaps not giving in was the right thing to do, but it was neither fun nor easy. If he just gave in... what would it matter? Would anyone blame him if he did? Who would even care? _Marinette..._ said a small voice in the back of his mind. _Marinette and Tom and Sabine..._ Yeah, that was right, they were in his corner. They were rooting for him to succeed, especially Marinette. Marinette knew everything about him and she was still his friend... His friend...

A tiny bubble of warmth filled his heart at the same moment the butterfly alighted on his ring...

oOo

The cold wind of late winter blew through the city from the Seine river. The overcast sky glowed red on the horizon where the sun was setting behind the clouds. It was beautiful but Ladybug didn't have time to be distracted. She stood on the second tier platform of the Eiffel Tower as on edge as she had ever been. This was it. She was going to finally see Hawkmoth in the flesh.

The gentle tapping sound from behind her was all that alerted her to his approach. Ladybug turned sharply feeling her heart-rate spike suddenly at the idea of him being so close. The red light of the evening sun cast its light on Chat Noir as he stood unmoving several paces away. Ladybug's eyes darted around, looking to find Hawkmoth. Perhaps he was coming later? Or maybe he was in the shadows watching? She saw nothing, only Chat Noir.

"You didn't think he'd actually show up here in person, did you?" Chat said in the most monotone voice she'd ever heard from him. It was off-putting and downright jarring when compared to his usual lilt.

"Well, if he didn't plan on coming," Ladybug said, her defenses lowering slightly. "why bother with setting up a meeting? Do you speak for him now? Let me guess... he wants my Miraculous?"

"I speak for no one but myself," Chat spat at her, he didn't want to be here and she wasn't making things any easier. He grit his teeth.

"Dear Ladybug," a voice echoed from somewhere near Chat Noir, catching her off guard. She stepped back and looked around, trying to find the source. There was nothing. "my apologies for not coming in person. I hope you can forgive me but I knew we would have an audience despite my request for you to come alone."

"Where are you?" Ladybug demanded, looking back at Chat, she saw it, the little butterfly crawling out from inside Chat's bell. The voice was coming from the insect. She resisted the urge to reach for her yo-yo. Had Chat been the carrier of a butterfly? But did that mean he was akumatized?! How could that be?! He was a miraculous holder, he couldn't be akumatized! Maybe he wasn't? He didn't look like he was being controlled.

"This is not preferable but it will have to do," Hawkmoth's voice spoke through the butterfly. "Ladybug, I know that you have no reason to trust me. I don't expect you to, but after speaking with my son a week ago, I decided I would try to end things peacefully. I'm doing this for him. All you have to do is listen."

"Doing this for _him_?!" Ladybug scoffed at the notion, crossing her arms. She felt rather crestfallen. Her plans to capture Hawkmoth and free Chat Noir were all for nothing. "Threatening his friend and manipulating him into doing things against his will? Yeah, I'm sure, you're doing this _all_ for him."

"If you would just listen, you would understand!" Hawkmoth voice shouted at her. Chat flinched at the sound though he knew his father wasn't actually there.

"Alright, then," Ladybug narrowed her eyes. Chat's recoil at his father's raised voice hadn't gone unnoticed. "I'm listening."

"I need your Miraculous to make a wish," he said simply. "a wish that will set everything right."

"How did you know that someone could make a wish if they possessed both the Miraculouses of Creation and Destruction?" Ladybug inquired her hands dropping to her hips. She knew that he had the book of Miraculous but the entire thing was coded. No one could read it except for Master Fu and even his knowledge of the code was limited.

"How did _you_ know that?" Chat asked softly but she heard the hurt in his voice keenly. She had to tread lightly here, she couldn't mention the book. Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste and Marinette had been the one to return the book to him. If she brought up having seen it, he might figure out her identity.

"I-I can't tell you..." she whispered in response, she couldn't talk about the book but she also couldn't drag Master Fu into this either. She hated herself. She wished she never found the book or Master Fu in the first place.

Chat felt a pit drop in his stomach. He had wondered in the past if she was keeping something from him. Now he knew it. He'd never asked before because he didn't want to know. He didn't want to be hurt, but hearing the truth now... it hurt more than he thought it could. He really was the sacrificial pawn. His part in everything was so much smaller than he realized.

"I imagine the Guardian told you about the Miraculouses," Hawkmoth said, his tone implying it was simply a matter of fact. Ladybug's eyes flew wide open. How did he know about the Guardian?! "How else would you have been able to collect three Miraculous in such a short amount of time?"

"Alright," Ladybug said after a moment of thought, she gathered herself and moved on. "so you know about the Miraculouses. What exactly is this wish you want to make? And more importantly, why would I trust you to make everything right? You're the one who started this whole mess in the first place."

"The wish..." Hawkmoth hesitated, his voice cautious. "my wish is to make it so that my wife never finds out about the Miraculous stones. My wife left us a year ago in search of the Peacock Miraculous and she is on the verge of finding it. If she gets her hands on that Miraculous, she will become a villain far more fearsome than I. This must not happen. I became Hawkmoth to draw you both out, but by that point, I was established as a villain and I knew that talking to you would yield no results. My only option was to keep playing the villain, to keep fighting. But for the sake of my family, I will try." Hawkmoth sighed. "Ladybug, will you help me save my family? Will you lend me your Miraculous?"

Ladybug eyed the Akuma even though she was quite certain that he couldn't see her. Glancing up at Chat's face, Ladybug felt a pang in her heart. He looked devastated. With the amount of pain he was in, Ladybug wondered how much more it would take before he broke completely. Yet, despite the look of desperation on Chat's face, she couldn't oblige herself to give in to Hawkmoth's request. What if he was just using his son's pain at the loss of his mother to try and manipulate her, just as he'd been manipulating his son?

Ladybug took a step back from Chat and the Akuma.

"I'm sorry, Chat," Ladybug said as she began turning away. "I... I just can't hand over my Miraculous to someone who's done so many bad things..."

"I told you that she wouldn't listen to us," Hawkmoth's voice said from behind her, something sinister creeping into his tone. She paused, her back still to them. "She doesn't care about us. Our only option is to keep fighting. Son, will you help me save your mother? Will you bring me Ladybug's Miraculous?"

"F-father I don't..." Chat started but he was cut off.

"Remember," Hawkmoth warned his son, his voice firm. "the consequences to your decision could be... fatal."

When Hawkmoth's threat was met with silence Ladybug glanced back. Horror-stricken, she could only watch as the Akuma lifted from Chat's bell and flew away. Ladybug grabbed her yo-yo, intent on purifying the Akuma before it got away. But instead of capturing the little insect, her yo-yo was knocked out of the air.

Chat Noir had jumped and knocked her yo-yo off course. He stood facing her, his expression dark. She couldn't help the chill that ran down her spine. Chat couldn't believe what was happening, what he was about to do. As if to confirm it beyond the shadow of any doubt, he lifted his head high and held his open hand out in front of him, palm up.

"Ladybug," he growled through gritted teeth. "give me your Miraculous."

"Ch-Chat..." Ladybug took a step back from him, she never thought she'd ever see him like this. "No..."

"Then I will have to take them by force..." This isn't what he wanted, but he had to protect Marinette. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her because of him. Chat's hands shook as he stalked forward, his jaw clenching tight. His rage was growing deeper and deeper, everything was wrong! This wasn't how things were supposed to be!

He lunged at her, his claws narrowly missing her as she dodged to the side. Chat turned on the spot and grabbed for her again and again she dodged. He shook his head, what was he doing? If he wanted her Miraculous, he was going to have to get serious! Just lunging at her wasn't going to do the trick.

"Chat Noir," Ladybug cried out as she came to face off with him, her yo-yo in hand. "you don't have to do this!"

Chat couldn't respond. She would talk him out of fighting if he let her. And if he let her do that, who knows what might happen to Marinette and her family... _No, this is for the best!_ Chat had to believe that. He let out a roar to silence Ladybug. There was nothing left to talk about.

He juked, bounding back and forth in an unpredictable pattern. Chat Noir jumped, using one of the beams of the tower to launch himself at Ladybug who was having a hard time keeping up. Her mangled cry was cut short by Chat's shoulder as he drove it into her diaphragm, knocking the wind from her lungs.

Ladybug tumbled backward, skidding a long way down the platform. She barely had time to think before Chat was at her again. She managed to roll to the side just in time to miss being struck by Chat's devastating blow. His downward heel stomp dented the metal panel where Ladybug had been not even a second before. She had never witnessed Chat at full strength before, he had truly been holding back during Akuma attacks.

Chat was thrown off balance ever so slightly when his attack missed and Ladybug took the opportunity. Pressing her fingers to her earpiece she called the others to help her. She heard them all responding, they were coming to her aid.

Chat had to do something and fast, he couldn't risk a fight with all four of them. He steadied himself and took out his baton, extending it he struck Ladybug on the shoulder, pushing her to the edge of the platform. She stumbled backward, backing up to the railing. Chat lunged at her again, this time catching her around the waist and diving off the platform. If the others were coming then it would be easier to fight them in the open, away from all the beams and landings.

Chat used his staff to launch them farther away from the tower before he unceremoniously threw Ladybug to the ground. _Has he always been this strong?!_ Ladybug thought to herself in fear and frustration. _He's throwing me around like a rag-doll!_

"Give me your Miraculous!" Chat cried out as Ladybug got to her feet. He landed not too far off. Ladybug pulled her yo-yo from her hip and swung it in a circle at her side. She looked around nervously as several people were watching them from a distance, phones out and recording. She had to end this quickly, the longer it dragged on the worse things would get, she just knew it.

"That's not going to happen, Chat!" she called back. The other heroes jumped onto the scene, surrounding Chat Noir. He glanced from side to side, noting that they had him trapped, weapons drawn and at the ready. "You're outnumbered, Chat... you can't win."

"I'm hardly outnumbered..." Chat scoffed leaning against his baton. He looked from Rena Rouge to Queen Bee to Carapace before his eyes came back to rest on Ladybug. "You called them here, to try and stop me from taking your Miraculous because you can't take me on your own."

"Maybe," Ladybug said still spinning her yo-yo. "but this is your ticket out of here. Take the loss and go! Please! I don't want to fight you, Chat!"

"You know," Chat growled. Even now, when his friend's well being was on the line, she was still trying to tell him what to do. It just made him even angrier. "I have a better idea!"

It all happened so fast, Ladybug hardly had time to register what was happening. Chat kicked the bottom of his staff, knocking the end of it up so hard and fast that Carapace was halfway across the courtyard before he knew what happened. Chat gripped the staff firmly in his hands and spun on the spot. Using his planted foot as a pivot point, he spun in a rapid circle, baton extending. Rena and Bee went flying backward, rolling and tumbling along the concrete. Chat's posture deepened as he began to sprint towards Ladybug.

Her yo-yo let loose, wrapping around his foot, she gave a mighty yank and sent him flying to the other side of the court. That was the only time that move was going to work and she knew it. She threw her yo-yo into the air in desperation.

"Lucky Charm!" she said frantically. The other heroes were down. Carapace wasn't moving and was likely unconscious. Rena was attempting to stand, holding her ribs, half slumped into a wall. Bee was laying in the fetal position with her back to the battle. It was up to Ladybug. This Charm had better be a good one.

Chat was already closing in on her. He'd merely bounded off the wall and had taken off running the moment he'd landed on his feet. The red and black object fell down into her hands. It was a mirror.

"Cataclysm!" she looked up from the charm, her terror absolute. Was he really that desperate?! What was he planning on doing?! Ladybug looked at the mirror, her back against the wall opposite Chat Noir. He wasn't far now, only a few more paces... _What was she supposed to do with this?!_

Ladybug felt herself panicking. Then at the last moment, with Chat Noir bearing down on her, his Cataclysm held at eye level, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Without any other ideas, Ladybug clutched the mirror to her chest. Closing her eyes against the coming attack, she yelled.

"WHAT ABOUT MARINETTE!"


	16. Chapter 16: The Quiet

**In which, Plagg is the bestest kwami ever, for all time, forever!**

* * *

"WHAT ABOUT MARINETTE?!"

The words reached Chat Noir's ears hardly a breath away from Ladybug and everything stopped. It was as though everything was moving in slow motion. His eyes glanced at his Cataclysmic hand that reached for the charm. The only thoughts that echoed in his mind sounded frighteningly like Ladybug's plea. What would Marinette think of him? Would she still be his friend after today? Would she fear him? What if she wanted nothing to do with him? He wanted to take it back, to pull his hand away! He had to! Was it too late?

Chat closed his eyes, he couldn't watch what was about to happen. Time sped back up and his hand crashed against something solid, turning it to ash. He couldn't bear to look. Would Ladybug still be there?

"Ch-Chat Noir?" her voice, a sound he once loved. He opened his eyes slowly. Through the dust that clouded around them, he saw her, perfectly unharmed by his Cataclysm. Chat's hand had collided with the wall behind her, narrowly missing her face and shoulder.

Chat's left hand covered his mouth. He was going to be sick. He had almost... He was going to... How could he have done this? He swallowed the bile that raised in the back of his throat. Not here. Not now.

"I'm sorry..." his voice was thick and broken and barely audible. Without another word, he left. Jumping over buildings, he ran through the city. His mind was static. This wasn't happening.

oOo

Chat launched himself into his room through the window and dropped the transformation instantly. He stumbled to the side, feeling lightheaded. Had he been hyperventilating on the run? His chest felt too tight, he could hardly breathe. Adrien practically fell through his bathroom door, barely managing to find the toilet before he lost the contents of his stomach.

A knock came at the bathroom door. Adrien couldn't drag himself up to answer it. He was still dizzy and just wanted to lay down and stare blankly at the ceiling. His emotions were too shot for anything else. The knock came again when he didn't answer.

"I'll take care of this..." Plagg growled menacingly. There were daggers in the kwami's eyes but Adrien couldn't bring himself to stop him. Plagg zoomed through the door to find Gabriel himself standing there. Though he had suspected Nathalie, Plagg was not deterred in the slightest.

"Look here, pal!" the kwami shot at the man who seemed only mildly surprised to be verbally assaulted by a tiny floating cat spirit. "That kid has been through enough today, don't ya think?! He's in there right now puking his guts out, just about ready to pass out with his head in the toilet! And here you are, knocking on his door to bother him again about something that probably doesn't even matter! You are the last thing he needs right now! So, why don't you just LEAVE HIM ALONE?!"

Gabriel raised his eyebrows ever so slightly at the sudden tongue lashing. "Very well, then you can tell him... I didn't actually expect him to succeed today. Though, I am very surprised by the amount of strength he possesses. He has surpassed my expectations and came closer than I ever imagined he would to obtaining Ladybug's Miraculous. His power will come in handy for next time... and there will be a next time."

With that, Gabriel turned and left the room. Plagg floated there, puffed up like an oddly shaped balloon until the door clicked shut behind Gabriel. He really detested that man. The sound of running water echoed out from the bathroom. Plagg looked back at the door, sadness etched into every feature. There was really nothing he could do for the kid.

Adrien brushed his teeth, determined to get the taste out of his mouth. Plagg came floating through the door, then, coming to rest on the empty soap try near the sink. He didn't say anything to his charge who seemed far too intent on brushing his teeth. Plagg just watched as Adrien grew more and more intense to the point where he threw his toothbrush in the sink and began gulping water straight from the faucet. He had to get rid of the taste.

Plagg sighed quietly to himself. This was exactly like earlier this week when he destroyed his bedroom. He could see the kid breaking and he didn't know if he could do anything to stop it.

It wasn't enough! He could still taste it on his lips! It was fresh and it wasn't going away! Adrien reeled back from the sink and growled out in frustration. He began stripping off his clothes and turned on the shower. He didn't wait for it to heat up before stepping in. He shivered as the cold water chilled his skin but even as the water warmed to more tolerable levels, his body didn't stop trembling. He couldn't make it go away. The taste was still there!

Adrien felt his stomach clench, rejecting the water he had just drunk. He sank to his knees as he vomited again. The bones in his legs turned to jelly, refusing to let him stand and so, he sat. Adrien sat under the stream, his silent tears mingling with the runnels of water that poured over his face. There was nothing left to do but cry. Adrien hugged his legs to his chest, pressing his eyes against his knees. He sat in the shower and wept, sobbing loudly and unashamed like a needy child until the water ran cold again.

He cried until his mind was numb. He wept until his emotions were numb. He sobbed until nothing mattered to him anymore. And though he tried to shut out everything, Marinette seemed firmly rooted in the "things I care about" category. If only he could stop caring about her. Then his father wouldn't have any leverage over him. She would be free. He would be free. Everything would be better.

At long last, Adrien reached over and turned the water off. Still trembling, he couldn't make himself stand up yet. He didn't have the gumption to grab a towel or even move out of the way of the dripping shower head. The sound of something dragging along the floor made him turn his eyes just enough to see Plagg pulling a towel around the corner. He came to a stop next to Adrien.

"D-do you really think my m-mom's a v-villain?" Adrien breathed through his quieting sobs.

"What do you think?" Plagg offered but the question only made Adrien's brow furrow in a tangle of unspeakable emotions. "Do you think your father is telling the truth? Because as far as we know, your mother isn't even a factor in this at all."

"But why would he lie about mom?" Adrien sniffed and wiped his face across his knees. "He loved her, he couldn't make something like this up... he wouldn't..." they were silent for a moment before another worry presented itself. "What if Ladybug and the others take my ring? What if they take it and Marinette gets hurt because I failed?! What if she doesn't want to be my friend anymore? What if-"

"Whoa, kid," Plagg placed a paw on Adrien's shoulder to quiet the worries from all tumbling out and consuming him. "Let's worry about one thing at a time, alright? Let's put them in order and deal with them together, okay? Now, what is the most important thing to you right now?"

The boy let his eyes wander, searching back and forth through his fears and worries to find the one – the only one – that truly mattered.

"Marinette," he said after a few seconds. She was the only real thing in his life anymore. He had Nino but only on his Adrien side. Marinette knew him, all of him, and she was still his friend. He could only hope that she would remain his friend after everything she was probably hearing about Chat Noir already.

"Good answer, kid," Plagg said quietly, tossing the towel over the soaked boy.

Adrien sat naked on his bed except for the towel around his waist. He couldn't find the motivation to get dressed or dry himself properly. His hair still dripped cold water down his neck, running down his spine and soaking his blankets but he couldn't care about that either.

Everything felt like nothing. He left all of his emotions in the bathroom, flushed down the toilet and rinsed down the drain. Though he felt nothing, though he didn't want to feel anything, he couldn't help the tiny part of himself that clung to the strength that Marinette had awoken within him.

Adrien watched with an impartial stare as Plagg moved about the room, collecting things and placing them in the boy's lap. First came the blue scarf from his closet. Next was the lucky charm bracelet that Adrien had taken to carrying around with him everywhere he went. The last item Plagg was looking for took him a while to find but find it, he did. A heart-shaped valentine that Adrien had kept stashed in his desk drawer.

Plagg placed the valentine on Adrien's lap and looked up at him. He floated up to Adrien's face. Tiny arms crossing over his chest, Plagg looked Adrien dead in the eye. The last thing he was going to do was sit by and watch as his charge slowly shut out the whole world and flew off into space on auto-pilot. The only tie he knew Adrien had that was strong enough to ground him back in reality, was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

"How long have you cared for Marinette?" Plagg asked bluntly. Adrien's brows came together slightly as though he were confused by the question. His eyes still looked distant. Plagg showed him no mercy, zooming forward and headbutting Adrien in the cheekbone. "Earth to Adrien! I asked you a question!"

"U-um... I, uh," Adrien said dumbly shaking his head slightly to try and clear the fog from his mind. "I guess we've been friends for a while now. Like a year, maybe?"

"No, kid," Plagg shook his own head, a sigh on his lips. "how long have you _really cared_ about Marinette?"

"W-what do you mean?" Adrien was finding it so very difficult to make sense of words in general and this seemingly random conversation wasn't helping.

"I need to know," Plagg's voice raised and he came closer to Adrien's face. He couldn't believe the kid was going to make him say this out loud. "how long have you been in love with the girl?!"

"I-I'm... not..." Adrien tried but his voice betrayed him, growing too weak to finish his denial... that's what it was, wasn't it? It was a denial because he was _in_ denial but why? It's not like his feelings for Ladybug had survived this whole ordeal. Why then? Was he just trying to protect himself from being hurt again? Was he too afraid to trust that someone could love him back? Maybe he was trying to protect her from being hurt by circumstance? With it all thrown in his face so vehemently he could hardly deny it anymore. "I don't know..."

"Yeah, my guess is that it hasn't been too long, has it?" Plagg chided him. A small stirring of guilt and anger bubbled up in the boy's chest but it wasn't enough to actually make him retaliate. He had no answer to offer the uncharacteristically enthusiastic kwami. "You see these things?" Plagg pointed to the items he had brought over to Adrien. "They all have one thing in common. I already know that you have no idea what it is, so I'll just tell you. They all had the same scent."

"The same scent?" Adrien repeated absently, trying to make sense of all this.

"Yeah, when they came into your possession, their scents matched..." Plagg said as if explaining things to a small child. "Do you know what that means?" Plagg held his arms out as if waiting for Adrien to hit him with the answer.

"They all came from the same place?" Adrien said but he still didn't see the point of all this. The bracelet was from Marinette, the scarf was from his father, and the Valentine hadn't even been signed. They shouldn't have the same scents. It just didn't make sense.

"That's right. They all smelled the same," Plagg repeated. "which means they all came from the same place. After you went down and were recuperating at Marinette's house, I connected the dots. These items smelled just like her room. They're proof of how long Marinette has really cared about you, kid."

"B-but this scarf was from-" Adrien started but got cut off.

"From your father?" the incredulous pitch of Plagg's rebuff silenced the boy immediately. "The guy who got you the same pen for your birthday three years in a row until this year when he magically got you something that you actually liked?"

Adrien bit the inside of his cheek. Lifting the scarf into his hands he felt the material gently between his fingers. He couldn't comprehend fully what Plagg was trying to say. Plagg floated down and lifted the card up to Adrien. He took it and flipped it open.

"Your hair shines like the sun," Adrien read out loud to himself. "your eyes are gorgeous green, I look at you and wonder your innermost thoughts and dreams. Yes, your Valentine I will be, our love will be so true, together for eternity... my heart belongs to you." He looked up at Plagg, the fire flaring in his chest showed itself in his eyes. "Are you saying... Marinette wrote this?!"

Adrien stood from the bed his eyes searching the words, again and again, drinking in their meaning with every pass until he finally understood.

"She..." his brow furrowed and his heart burned as it beat erratically against his ribs. "She loves me?"

"Yeah," Plagg said with a sigh. "Now what are you going to do about it?"

The kid finally got it. Plagg hoped that this would be enough to keep his spirits up. There was a powerful magic in knowing that someone out there truly loved you. Plagg didn't really like playing cupid but if it kept Adrien from shutting everything out and falling into despair, he'd do just about anything. It was amazing how much help the kid needed, though. Like seriously? How oblivious could one person be?

"Plagg, I want to go to her..." Adrien looked out the window to the night sky. The stars twinkled and a cool breeze drifted through the window, chilling his skin. It couldn't hurt to see her again, could it? She was already in danger, he couldn't think of how it could possibly get any worse. Plagg noticed the look on Adrien's face slide from hope to apprehension. "D-do you think she's..."

"You know," Plagg said hovering to the side of Adrien's head. "there's only one way to find out, kid."

oOo

Chat Noir crawled through the night, careful to avoid being seen by any civilians. The last thing he needed was to have a bunch of people running away in panic or possibly chasing him down with cameras – as Alya came to mind. He alighted on a roof and crouched behind a chimney near Marinette's terrace.

Chat could see her through the window sitting at her desk with her head in her hands. The only light in her room was her desk lamp. What was she doing up so late? Was it possible she was waiting for him?

A rush of wind nearby had Chat on high alert. He turned abruptly, ready to fight, only to find Carapace standing, relaxed a few meters away.

"Chill, bro," Carapace said but Chat could hear the tension in the hero's voice. "I'm not here to fight you. Not that I would stand a chance... You hit like a truck, dude."

"Then what are you doing sneaking up on me?" Chat Noir's tail twitched behind him, his ears tilted back slightly.

"I thought maybe you were an Akuma coming to take Marinette," Carapace replied simply taking a few tentative steps towards Chat. "We're taking turns on watch, you know. LB's orders. We're gonna keep her and her parents safe as best we can... You know, LB is hurting a lot since you've been gone. After the fight earlier she told us that everything was all her fault and that we shouldn't blame you for what you did. Said that it was her decision that forced you into that position." Chat felt himself relax a little as Carapace took a seat on the spine of the roof a couple meters away. "I've never been one to hold a grudge but I think Rena and Bee might not let it go for a while... Can I ask you something?"

"No, I'm not going to tell you my secret identity..." Chat responded sarcastically, still unsure of how to feel about this whole interaction. They weren't really 'enemies' but they weren't exactly friends either. But Chat couldn't deny how at ease he felt around Carapace, as though he were talking to an old friend.

"Not exactly what I was gonna ask," Carapace laughed as he looked out at Marinette's house. His calming smile wavered for a moment. "I was actually really curious about how you met Marinette in the first place?"

"It's..." Chat sighed internally. "a long story. But to put it simply, I ran away from home a couple weeks ago and her father found me unconscious in the snow and brought me in. Then they all sorta nursed me back to health. Marinette was there most of the time though, she kept me company. They're amazing."

"Yeah," Carapace said his smile returning. "they're really good people. Probably the best people in all of Paris, really."

"Yeah, they really are," Chat said more to himself as he watched Marinette through her window. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Is she... do you know if Marinette is mad at me?"

"Honestly?" Carapace said rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't think so? All I know is that she was sitting on her terrace for a long time before she went inside. It's like she's waiting for something. If I had to make a guess, I'd say she's probably waiting for you."

Chat stood suddenly, nodding his head in farewell to Carapace, he jumped to Marinette's roof.

Carapace watched sadly as Marinette startled at the noise and ran to fling open the skylight. Chat stood back tentatively his posture uncertain, but the girl threw her arms around Chat's neck without hesitation, hugging him tightly. Carapace smiled widely at Chat's surprise, his heartwarming at the sight as the black-clad hero returned the gesture with just as much enthusiasm. Carapace stood then to return to his hiding place.

Glancing back over his shoulder he whispered. "Take care of yourself, Adrien."


	17. Chapter 17: Before and After

**OOF! 7 full pages of writing later I finally finished chapter 17!**

 **In which... we all get what we want. ;D**

"WHAT ABOUT MARINETTE?!"

The words left her lips not a moment too soon. Her eyes shut tightly against the sight before her, Ladybug cringed back against the wall behind her. A rush of wind and it was over. Eyes shooting open, she looked first to Chat's arm extended to the wall she was leaning against. The brick turned to coal and she stood back on her own feet before it collapsed under her weight. It wasn't until it had turned to dust and billowed out around them that she looked into Chat's face.

His eyes were closed tight, just as hers had been. Chat was scared, just as scared as she was, possibly more so. The look on his face was a cross between a snarl and a grimace. He was shaking, she noticed.

"Ch-Chat Noir?" Her voice caught in her throat. It was then she noticed the tears streaming down her face. His eyes opened. Astonishment written on his face. He paled, his left hand reaching up to cover his mouth. He looked like he was going to be sick.

"I'm sorry..." his voice was so deep and broken she could hardly understand him. Then just like that, he was gone.

Ladybug felt her knees give out and she crumbled to the ground, as though she were a part of the destroyed wall. She let out a sound. A sound she'd never made before. The pain and distress, the sound of absolute sorrow was enough to make anyone's blood run cold. All at once, she was surrounded by a mob of people, some of them reporters, some of them worried onlookers. Cameras in her face, prodding questions, they all demanded answers but all she could do was sit on the ground and sob.

Ladybug felt herself being lifted from the ground and looked up to see Rena Rouge cradling her in her arms. She took Ladybug away from the mass of people, away from the noise. She didn't go far, landing on a nearby rooftop, meeting up with Queen Bee who was carrying Carapace over her shoulder. She set him down gently, leaning him against the chimney.

"Girl..." Rena said quietly placing Ladybug down next to Carapace. She placed the mirror in her heroine's shaking hands. Ladybug's earrings beeped at her. "it's time to set things right."

Rena's words resonated with her. It was time to set things right. She couldn't do it on her own anymore. Ladybug needed to accept that her new partners could help her in more ways than one. She wouldn't allow herself to make the same mistake with them that she made with Chat Noir. Swallowing the thickness in her throat she threw the charm into the air and quietly called on the Miraculous Cure.

"You're right, Rena," Ladybug said standing from where she sat on the rooftop. She wiped her tears away, a new fire burning in her eyes. Carapace held his head in his hands. The cure had woken him but his head still hurt. He shook it off and stood with the others. "it's time to set things right... Everyone, follow me."

Ladybug led the heroes to Marinette's house, all of them landing on the terrace.

"You're about to transform back," Queen Bee said pointing at Ladybug's flashing earrings. She had two minutes left. "If we have to talk to Marinette's family, you should go recharge, we'll wait for you."

"Come on everyone," Ladybug said ignoring Bee's suggestion. Lifting open the skylight, she motioned for everyone to head inside.

"Um, Ladybug," Rena said her eyebrows raising. "we can't just break and enter into someone's house just because we're heroes. Can we?"

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure they'll understand," Ladybug waved them in. They obeyed, albeit apprehensively. Ladybug sighed deeply before jumping down after them.

"Seriously though," Carapace said in an anxious whisper. "I think you should go find a place to recharge... what are you doing?"

Ladybug had walked to the windows, drawing the curtains, before plopping down in the computer chair. Leaning her elbows on the desk, she rested her head in her hands. Another deep breath. She could do this.

"I chose all of you for a reason, you know that right?" she said shakily not looking at them. The remained silent. "I realized something earlier... I need your help... all of you. I don't want to make the same mistake with you that I made with Chat. I... I trust you all with my life!"

A flash of pink light rippled through the room. The heroes stood in shock and confusion.

"No... way..." Rena whispered, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. A mingle of emotions flashing across her face. Surprise, excitement, hurt, curiosity, realization, and fear.

"Dude!" Carapace's voice squeaked out, total shock on his face.

Queen Bee's mouth simply hung open, gaping at Marinette in slack-jawed astonishment.

"I know this is really sudden but..." Marinette looked up at them, tears back in her eyes. "I can't think of how else to make you understand what's really going on. I want us all to be honest with each other. I made the mistake of pushing Chat Noir away to the point that he was forced back into Hawkmoth's grasp. I trusted him but I lost him because of my secrets! Now my family is in danger and it's all because I didn't stop to listen for two seconds!"

"What exactly is the point of all this?" Queen Bee said placing a hand on her hip. She couldn't believe that her hero was none other than Marinette Dupain-Cheng... the girl she most despised. But that girl had made _her_ a hero. Like, what did that even mean? Where does she get off pulling a stunt like this?! "Did you reveal your identity just to complain about how terrible your life is?"

"Bee!" Rena snapped at her. "Can't you see the girl is in need of our help?"

"I needed to tell you all the truth," Marinette said standing from the chair and walking over to the others. "and I need you all to trust each other with the truth too."

"You mean like..." Carapace rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "our identities? But why? Isn't that dangerous?"

"I have good reason to ask this of you," Marinette said determinedly. "otherwise I never would have asked."

"But you already know our identities," Rena chimed in.

"Yeah, what she said," Bee said, her bored mood prevailing.

"Because I'm not the only one in danger," Marinette sighed heavily, her gaze dropping to the floor.

"Yeah, your parents are in danger too, right?" Carapace said. "You need us all to keep an eye on them when we can, right?"

"Well, that would be appreciated but..." Marinette rubbed the back of her neck. "I was talking about Chat Noir. He needs our help too."

"No way am I helping that psycho," Bee shot at Marinette, her arms crossed defiantly over her chest. "He hit me, like, really hard today! You can forget whatever plan you had up your sleeve, I'm not helping _him._ "

"You all need to know," Marinette said suddenly, moving to block Queen Bee from leaving. "Chat Noir wasn't himself earlier. He would never hurt anyone on purpose. That's just not who he is. He's being controlled by his father and we need to set him free... somehow."

"Okay?" Rena said holding her hands out to either side. "Then what? We whisk him away where his father can't find him? Sorry girl, you know I got you, but I'm gonna need a better plan than that."

"Yeah, my head still hurts pretty bad from getting hit," Carapace said rubbing his chin tenderly. "and now you want me to help the guy? I'm not sure I'm up for that."

"Everyone, please!" Marinette begged, her idea to get them all on board was backfiring. She knew what she had to do but she wasn't sure it was the right move. "You wouldn't think twice about helping him if you knew who was behind the mask!" They all stopped and looked at her quizzically. "I didn't want to do this but if you won't help me otherwise, then I don't have a choice!" She took a deep breath, her eyes squinting shut and she grit her teeth against the words. "Chat Noir... is A... Adrien Agreste."

There was no going back now. They all had similar responses to her proclamation as they'd given when they saw Ladybug turn into Marinette. A myriad of questions bombarded her, almost throwing her backward with their force and intensity.

"I only found out this morning..." Marinette said holding up her hands to quiet their questioning. "I was more shocked than all of you. I've been his partner all this time and I didn't even have the slightest clue. But now you know, this is why I need your help! If we can all keep an eye on him at school, or if we can get invited to his house... maybe we can find something out about Hawkmoth. We might be able to find a way to help him. But I need you guys to remember, he doesn't know that I'm Ladybug and he doesn't know anyone but Marinette knows his identity. You guys have to keep this under wraps."

"Don't you worry! You have my support," Rena said stepping forward and placing a hand on Marinette's shoulder. Her orange suit erupting into fragmenting light. Alya smiled at her friend. "One hundred percent girl!"

"Alya?!" Carapace gawked at her. The girl raised an eyebrow. He too called off his transformation. Nino placed his hands on Alya and Marinette's shoulders, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm totally down with saving my best bud! Count me in!"

Collectively they turned their eyes to Queen Bee, who stood feeling like the odd man out. They weren't her friends. They didn't even like her. Why had Marinette chosen her to be a hero? She could have chosen anyone, why her?

"Queen Bee," Marinette smiled at her. She had a feeling she knew exactly why she was hesitating. "I chose you to be a hero and I wouldn't take it back for anything. No matter what, we're partners, and we're all friends here."

"I'm going to save Adrien," she said, her voice suddenly boasting of confidence. A flash of yellow light and there stood Chloe in all her glory. "No matter what!"

"Chloe?!" Alya and Nino said together in surprise. They looked at Marinette in shock. Marinette shrugged.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Alya said enthusiastically pulling Chloe into the circle. Marinette felt herself take in a breath, sighing out relief. "Let's put our heads together and come up with a plan to save Adrien and dethrone Hawkmoth!"

oOo

Marinette climbed down the latter into her room. The night was getting too cold to stay out any longer. The sun had gone down ages ago while she sat on her terrace hoping that Chat Noir would show up but she couldn't stay out in the cold forever.

She kept thinking about Chat Noir's face when he said he was sorry.

Marinette sat at her desk and though she went through the trouble to look up one of the recordings of the day's battle, she found herself unable to press play. The thumbnail and tag-line were torture enough. The city was turning against Chat Noir faster than she ever could have imagined. It wasn't going to be easy clearing this up. She couldn't just let people think that Chat was simply a minion of Hawkmoth's of his own free will. Though, she also wasn't sure that telling the public the truth was a good move right now. It was all so exhausting!

Marinette picked up the Chat Noir doll that she'd made as a pair with Ladybug so long ago, hugging it tightly to her chest. It was the next best thing to having the actual Chat Noir with her. She wondered how Adrien was holding up, hoping with all her heart that he was okay.

A few minutes passed and her clock ticked to midnight. She moaned sleepily and yawned, rubbing her eyes. It had been such a long day but she knew she wasn't going to sleep tonight. Too much had happened. She found out just that morning that Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste were the same person. Which, of course, meant that Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth. Then for Gabriel to show up at her house! She shuddered at the thought. The worst part about the day had been finding out how very wrong about everything she'd been all along. Ladybug was the one who pushed Chat Noir into a pit and after the Lucky Charm earlier she had a distinct impression that Marinette was the only one able to pull him back out. But how could she do that if she couldn't contact him anymore?

Something landed on her roof, soft and heavy. Marinette shot up from her desk, suddenly completely awake. She ran to the skylight and flung it open. There he was, standing on the other side of her balcony, looking so completely unsure of himself. Chat looked as though he was about to crumble. So, without a word, Marinette rushed to him, flinging her arms around his neck. She hugged him tightly, intent on never letting go.

"Marinette!" his voice was wavering and she could feel him trembling. "Please know that everything that I've done is to protect you from this mess I'm dragged you into! I'm sorry! I did this to you! This is all my fault! I know what they're saying about me and I need you to know that I'm not a villain! I swear it! Please, believe me!"

"Chat Noir," Marinette sighed into his hair. "calm down. It's alright. It's alright," Marinette pulled free from his grip and motioned for him to follow her inside. He sank to his knees in front of her after she took a seat on her bed. She began stroking his hair and he buried his tears into her lap. "I know you're not a villain. I believe in you. I know you're only doing what you have to. I was so scared when I saw the news. I was so worried that you were going to hurt Ladybug."

"Worried that I was going to hurt the savior of Paris?" Chat said only a little bitterly, his tears still falling quietly from his eyes. It was amazing that he had any tears left at all.

"I was worried for her, yeah," Marinette admitted. "but I was worried about what that would do to you. If you had hurt her... you might have been broken. And I don't want to see you hurt anymore. I just want all of this to be over. I want to know what it's like to be friends with you when our lives aren't in danger."

"Princess?" Chat asked as a purr rumbled in the back of his throat. His head still resting on her lap, she continued stroking his hair. She hummed her response. "Do you like me?"

Marinette couldn't stop the deep blush from spreading over her cheeks. Her mouth opened and closed several times making her look like a fish. Thank goodness Chat wasn't actually looking at her. After a few seconds, she finally stammered out a response.

"W-well, uh, I guess..." her voice pinched off at the end. She wasn't sure how to answer that question. Perhaps the truth, then? "I-I do like you, yes."

"Do you remember that story you told me last week about the princess and the black cat?" he said turning his head so his chin was resting on her knees. She nodded her head. "I've been thinking about it since then... you said you couldn't finish telling me the story because it wasn't written yet. I know this sounds cheesy but, I want to be the one who writes the rest. So far my story has been written by other people, my father, and Ladybug... I want to make it a good story, with a happy ending."

"That's a great idea, Chaton," Marinette smiled at him. "Do you know what you're going to write? Are you going to be the big hero who saves the day?"

"Being the hero isn't all that important to me anymore," he sighed but then perked up, his tail swishing nervously behind him. "but I know one thing for sure. I want to get the Princess and I want to live happily ever after."

"You really are just a silly cat!" Marinette giggled, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth. As insufferable a flirt as always. Chat sat up suddenly, reaching over and taking her hand. He pulled her hand away from her mouth and gave a gentle smile that made the heat return to her cheeks.

"Don't cover your smile, My Princess," Chat said as he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. "it's too beautiful to hide it away."

"Ch-Chat?" Marinette squeaked. His sudden seriousness crawled under her skin, making her feel warm and lightheaded. This was the first time he'd ever actually flirted with her as Marinette. He noticed that her stuttering had come back a little bit since finding out he was Adrien. It was kind of cute.

"I must be honest," he said with a sigh as he looked over at Marinette's alarm clock. It was nearing one in the morning. "I came here tonight to make sure you were okay... I don't like that you're home alone. It makes me uncomfortable."

"I'll be alright," Marinette followed his gaze to her clock. "What about you?"

"I'm basically indestructible," Chat said flexing his arms. He propped himself up and sat next to her on the bed. "I'll be just fine."

"Is that the truth?" Marinette said quietly, not meaning to question his character quite so harshly. He looked taken aback and she immediately regretted saying it.

"Truth be told," Chat offered her instead, looking a bit deflated. "I don't know if I'm going to be okay. Everything is numb like I'm broken, I just don't know how badly. This probably sounds crazy but Marinette, I've realized that you're the only thing holding me together. So, I guess I'll be just fine. As long as I have you."

"You will always have me, Chaton," Marinette said reaching out and flicking his cat bell. Chat smiled, a small laugh escaping him at the gesture. He reached around and pulled Marinette into a full embrace.

"Then I guess I'll always be fine," he laughed lightly into her ear. He held her tighter to his chest. "Marinette, I... y-you should get some rest..."

"Chat?" the question in her voice didn't need to be spoken. He pulled back from her and gave her a weak smile. He had almost confessed. It had been on the tip of his tongue. He cursed himself as a scaredy-cat.

"Is it okay if I stay until you fall asleep?" he asked quietly. Marinette nodded her head and crawled under the covers without a word. She didn't actually have words at the moment. Laying her head against her pillows she laid there stiffly, wondering what... Oh gosh, he laid down next to her! Marinette felt as though she were going to explode. "Are you okay, Princess? Your face is all red."

"I'm fine!" she said too loudly for it to be true. He laughed lightly to her dismay. He curled his arm beneath his head as he turned onto his left side to face her. Chat watched in amusement as she stared determinedly at the ceiling.

"You know, Princess," he mused, a cat-like grin on his face as he teased her. "people usually sleep with their eyes closed but I like your technique. I'm sure it's very effective."

"Your staring is making it hard to fall asleep," she remarked in a matter-of-fact tone. She didn't look at him.

"I'm not staring," Chat protested holding his hand to his chest. "I'm looking."

"Well, maybe you should _look_ somewhere else?" she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I can't look away," he purred, leaning in a bit closer to her. "You're just so beautiful. You're drawing me in like a moth to... flame."

"Perhaps it'd be more accurate to say something like, 'Curiosity is about to kill the cat' and I'm the curiosity," Marinette corrected him, pulling his attention away from his slip of the tongue before she suddenly realized that he just called her beautiful. Chat grinned at her, her face reddening in the dark.

"You've certainly peaked my curiosity, Princess," Chat said curling in even closer to her. His right arm draping over her stomach. The purr that rattled his chest, sent slight vibrations through the mattress. "but you wouldn't kill me, would you?"

"That depends," Marinette said with a shrug but her nerves could be heard in her voice.

"Do I really make you that nervous?" Chat asked quietly as he watched her. "Y-you aren't scared of me... are you?"

"W-what?! I'm not... I'm not scared of you!" again she was speaking too loudly for it to be the truth. It made Chat grimace. The arm he had draped over her flexed slightly as if to bring her even closer. Marinette made a tiny squeaking sound then covered her face, her mouth whimpering behind her hands. "I'm not scared."

"Then why are you acting like this?" Chat sighed releasing his grip on her and putting some distance between them again. "It's like you don't want me here... I can leave if-"

"No!" Marinette cried. For the first time since laying down, she turned towards him, looking him full in the face. Her hands gripped at his chest, the truth was in her eyes. "I'm not scared of _you_! I'm scared of b-being c-close to y-you!"

"So... being close to me makes you nervous," he looked befuddled. If she wasn't scared of him, was she... love-struck? Was that the right word? It was something similar anyway... it had to be. He tapped his chin in thought before suddenly drawing her to him, closer than before. Marinette could hardly breathe as Chat Noir pulled her against him. A slightly mischievous smile touching his lips. "That's unfortunate, Princess, because I want nothing more than to be close to you."

"A-Adrien?!" Marinette gasped, finally able to catch her breath. His eyes softened at the sound of his name. Right, Marinette knew who he was, he didn't have to act so much like Chat. Gracing her with a more gentle smile, he let his transformation fall. She gasped again. She knew that it was Adrien behind the mask but seeing it again just reinforced the relatively new knowledge.

"You called for me, Princess?" his voice was so tender Marinette was sure she would have swooned if she weren't already laying down. And the way he was looking at her... his heart was in his eyes, as though he were taking in the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. She didn't know how long they laid there staring at each other. It felt like the best kind of eternity. He spoke again, his voice just above a breath.

"I love you, Marinette."


	18. Chapter 18: The Storm

Adrien opened his eyes as his alarm blared in his ear. Despite the rude awakening and how dreadfully tired he was, he woke with a smile on his face. Marinette loved him. She had told him so last night.

She laid there speechless for a minute simply gaping at him. He thought perhaps he had made a horrible mistake until she stammered the words he'd needed to hear more than anything.

" _I-I l-love you t-too."_

Adrien didn't care if he hadn't done his homework yet or even bothered to brush his teeth after getting home last night. He was loved. Someone loved him. That was all he needed for now. Getting ready for his day didn't take long. After throwing on his jacket, he carefully wrapping Marinette's scarf around his neck. Adrien ran his fingers over the finely knit scarf, feeling the bumps and ridges of the immaculate stitching. He smiled.

"You gonna stand there all day or are we gonna get to this photo shoot?" Plagg groaned from Adrien's inner coat pocket.

"We're going, we're going!" Adrien laughed lightly, rubbing his still tired eyes.

Pulling open the door Adrien almost fell over backward in shock. His father's imposing figure loomed just beyond the threshold like a malevolent spirit as he haunted the hallway. The downturned corners of his mouth showed his ever-present dissatisfaction for life as a whole. His hands clasped behind his back, his posture demanding respect, obedience, and... Adrien's good mood faltered. He leaned back slightly but didn't dare move away.

"I thought I told you to leave that girl out of this?" Gabriel said so coldly that Adrien had to suppress a shiver. "Do you think this is a game? Are you really so determined to be disobedient that you would willingly put _us_ at risk?"

"No, Father, please," Adrien begged, clutching a fist to his chest. "I just... I couldn't-"

"Couldn't what?" Gabriel snapped at his son. "Obey me? Oh, yes, I think you've made that very clear. Ever since coming home you've done nothing but demonstrate this loathsome rebellious attitude. Mind yourself, Adrien. Your actions have consequences."

With that, the man turned and walked back toward his office.

Adrien couldn't find the words he needed and now it felt too late. A moment ago Adrien had felt his hope blooming. Now, everything just felt cold and hollow. How was it his father could ruin even the best days? What was worse, was now he had to model, and he would rather be doing anything but pretending to smile for an overly enthusiastic photographer right now.

The day was long and seemed to drag on forever. There was nothing worse than modeling on an off day. The photographer was getting more and more frustrated with Adrien as the day drew on. He tried so hard to follow all the instructions the photographer gave him but his mind was elsewhere and he was more tired than he originally thought. Adrien sat in the chair at the makeup station during his break, feeling completely defeated.

Adrien startled at the feeling of his phone vibrating in his hand. He'd been looking through his social media pages but everything was filled with news and speculations on Chat Noir's "betrayal". He wanted to throw his phone but instead looked at the text that he'd just gotten.

 _'Look behind you!'_ Adrien furrowed his brow at his phone before turning his head.

Part of him wanted to groan and another part wanted to turn invisible. He didn't have the mental fortitude to deal with Chloe properly at the moment. He let his face form his practiced smile and he waved.

"Hey, Chloe, what are you doing here?" he wasn't sure how long he could keep up the act. He'd really hoped he could rest on his break.

"Are you surprised to see me?" Chloe flicked her hair and walked up beside him. "You shouldn't be. This is one of the biggest photoshoots of the year! I'm here to show you my support, of course!"

"Oh, right," Adrien laughed lightly, hoping it didn't sound too forced.

"So, what were you so absorbed in that you didn't notice me? I called your name, like, three times," Chloe said leaning over to see as he clicked back to his social media page. The news feeds all plastered with Chat Noir's face. Chloe frowned at the sight. "Ugh! Those stupid news articles!"

"Oh, yeah, you're a Ladybug fan, aren't you?" Adrien sighed and turned off his phone. The last thing he wanted was to talk about Ladybug and Chat Noir. He could only imagine the rant Chloe was about to go on about Chat Noir. It took all his strength not to tell her he had to go to the bathroom and leave her there.

"I'm not _just_ a Ladybug fan," Chloe corrected him. "I am also a fan of Chat Noir."

"But he's a villain now," Adrien felt himself closing off. He was so done with Chloe and they'd hardly spoken. "he tried to hurt Ladybug and the others."

"No he didn't," Chloe said batting her eyes at the thought. Adrien tilted his head as he looked back at her, wondering if they'd been looking at the same new articles. "if he wanted to actually hurt them, they probably wouldn't have been able to get back up. It's, like, totally obvious something else is going on. Probably something that no one else knows about. I mean, did you even see his face when he went after Ladybug? He looked like he was in pain, not angry. I feel sorry for him since the media turned on him so quickly. Instead of trying to get to the bottom of this, they just turned him into a villain. Which he's not. It's sad really."

Chloe leaned toward the mirror of the makeup station, checking to make sure not a hair was out of place as she spoke. Adrien didn't notice that her reflection was watching him. His face showed all of his emotions. Maybe Marinette was right? Perhaps Adrien really was Chat Noir? Why else would he look so sad and conflicted?

Chloe turned and leaned back against the counter crossing her arms lightly over her chest. How should she proceed? This was a delicate situation, she couldn't let on that she was Queen Bee or that she knew that Adrien was Chat Noir. Her train of thought was broken when Adrien finally spoke. The sadness never truly leaving his eyes though he tried to smile.

"You really don't think of Chat as a villain?" he asked her softly doing his best to not sound like he was too interested in her answer. "Even after what he's done?"

"If I know anything," Chloe smirked and laughed, flicking her hair over her shoulder again. "it's that Chat Noir would never do anything to intentionally hurt Ladybug or anyone else for that matter. He's a hero."

Adrien stood up from his chair feeling more invigorated than he had before Chloe had shown up. Her words were true. How could he have forgotten? He's not a villain. He never has been. He never would be. His father's choices didn't define him. Adrien was Chat Noir a hero of Paris and he was still protecting Paris. Even as he turned against Ladybug and the others, he wasn't really against them. Perhaps he was angry. Perhaps it felt good to fight if only to release his frustrations. But he never wanted to be against them, that was his father's doing. This was all Gabriel's fault.

"You're right..." Adrien let out a sigh, releasing the immense tension he'd been feeling since the meeting with his father earlier. He was doing all of this to protect Marinette's family but... was this the only way to protect them? Adrien decided right then and there that he would find a way out of this mess and protect Marinette at the same time. He wasn't going to be his father's puppet anymore. "Thank you, Chloe."

Adrien reached out and pulled Chloe into a hug but let her go quickly as she yelped in pain.

"Chloe?" Adrien looked her over a little worried. Had he grabbed her too hard? "What's wrong? I didn't hurt you did I?"

"N-no, no, of course not!" Chloe waved her hand to dissuade the idea. Though in all honesty, he was the one who bruised her ribs. "I just pulled a muscle... during... yoga!"

"Yoga?" Adrien repeated. "I didn't know you did yoga."

"I just started last week," her laugh was flawless and her lying skills had been polished to a brilliant shine over the years of practice. Adrien's mind was set at ease.

No sooner had his break started than it ended. The photographer calling him back out for more pictures. The rest of his day went better than it had started. At least he managed to get in a few good shots before the day was done.

oOo

"Tom, how do you think Marinette is holding up on her own?" Sabine asked for the third time that night as they made the long journey back home from the country villa. She looked out the car window to the droplets of water that gathered on the glass. They collected in tiny pools until they were large enough to form rivulets as they were swept away by the rushing wind.

Tom's silence did nothing to set his wife's nerves at ease.

"I'm sorry I keep asking," Sabine said quietly not looking back at her husband. The darkness of the night was cut by the brighter lights of the city in the distance. "but after hearing what's going on in Paris between Ladybug and Chat Noir... I just..."

"I know," Tom sighed heavily, his foot subconsciously pressing a little harder against the gas pedal. "I'm worried too. But Marinette is strong, she has her friends with her, everything will be alright. You'll see."

With the darkness of the streets and the steady rainfall creating a mist that limited visibility, Tom didn't see the person standing in the road until it was almost too late. Slamming on the breaks, he turned the wheel and drove the car nose first into the ditch. It all happened so fast. The jolt of the sudden stop left them both feeling disorientated. Tom shook his head trying to clear away the dizziness but the adrenaline kept him from thinking clearly.

"S-Sabine?" he called as he heard a door open. The lights in the car were flashing only adding to the confusion.

"Are you two still alive?" the cool, calm of the woman's voice sent a chill down Tom's spine. The stranger's voice sounded more cynical than concerned and the lack of movement from the passenger side concerned Tom deeply.

"Sabine?" he reached for her clumsily for his wife's slumped form but instead felt himself being pulled from the vehicle. "S-Sabine?!"

"Don't worry," the woman said as she placed Tom on the ground beside the wreckage. She was unusually strong for a woman. It wasn't until this moment that Tom took the time to actually look at the woman. He didn't recognize her but he could tell just from the outfit she was wearing that she was Akumatized. Her lips pressed themselves into a tight line that hooked on one side. It was the least amused smile Tom had ever seen. "You're both going to be just fine."

The Akuma's laugh echoed out above the sound of the rain. Tom fought to stay conscious but after hitting his head in the accident it was all too much.

The world around him went dark.


	19. Chapter 19: Puppet on a String

"Marinette! I'm sure your parents are fine!" Tikki cried for the thousandth time that morning. "There's been no reports of accidents on the route your parents took home. I know they haven't called you but maybe they just got tired and stopped at an Inn for the night?"

"But that's just it, Tikki!" Marinette countered as she paced the floor. "My parents would have called me to tell me! And It's almost noon! They should have been home by now even if they did stop for the night! Something bad has happened Tikki! I can just feel it!"

"Marinette, calm down!" Tikki zoomed over and stopped right in front of Marinette's face. "Panicking won't help your parents. You need to keep your cool and think this through."

"You're right, you're right!" Marinette threw her hands up in the air as she plopped herself down on the couch. Her life had been so crazy these last few weeks but after Adrien confessed to her last night everything had turned even further on its head. She felt happy and guilty at the same time. On one hand, this is what she'd wanted for a long time but on the other, she didn't feel like this was the time to be throwing love into the mix. "I'm just so... so confused right now!"

"Well, you're not alone anymore, Marinette and I can think of a couple people who might be able to help you think straight," Tikki offered with a smile. She giggled to herself as Marinette dove her hand into her pocket and immediately dialed Alya.

oOo

Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Carapace stood on the top tier of the Eiffel Tower weighing out their options.

"I'm just really worried that something might have happened to them on their way home," Ladybug sighed. All this worry was wearing her out. "I don't know what to do."

"I know this is probably a dumb question but I'm still gonna ask," Carapace said folding his arms in preemptive defense. "have you tried calling them?" The glare he received from both Ladybug and Rena was answer enough. "Hey, don't be like that! Sometimes the obvious things get overlooked okay? I was just making sure!"

"Anyway," Rena said turning her attention back to Ladybug. "Have you called the police? They might know something more."

"I tried but they just treated me like I was just some dumb kid," Ladybug growled, "they told me that my parents would probably be home soon and not to worry! They said that this happens all the time!"

"Seriously?!" Rena propped her fists on her hips and scoffed. "Like you don't know your own parents! Try calling again and this time, insist that they take you seriously!"

"You could tell them about your parent's bakery?" Carapace tapped his chin in thought. "I mean, the fact that they have a business and they didn't show up to open shop is a pretty big deal."

"I didn't think about that," Ladybug said quietly, contemplating her next move. "Okay! I'll call the police again but this time I'll make them listen! Rena, Carapace, I need you two to follow up with them after I call. Make sure they send a patrol down the route my parents took to look for anything suspicious. If they give you guys a hard time just shoot me a message and Ladybug will show up to get the ball rolling. But I need to be at home. If the police do take me seriously, they will most likely send a unit to my house to talk to me."

"You can count on us!" Carapace said stepping forward and jabbing his chest with his thumb.

"We'll find your parents, girl, don't you worry!" Rena stepped forward and placed a hand on Ladybug's shoulder, smiling reassuringly.

"What about Queen Bee?" Carapace asked looking around as if he just noticed she was missing.

"She's looking after Chat Noir, remember?" Ladybug said a slight tension in her voice. "It was a job I knew she could do more easily than the rest of us. I figured she could get closer to Chat than we could during the day without drawing too much attention from Hawkmoth. I mean, she's been friends with him for ages. So, having her show up wouldn't seem out of the ordinary."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Carapace rubbed his neck. "I just wish Hawk-pops didn't hate me so much. Maybe then I could be there for my best bud too."

"I know this is hard but we can do this!" Ladybug reassured him. "We're going to take down Hawkmoth and save our friend!"

"Right!" Rena Rouge threw a fist in the air and Carapace smiled. Ladybug could make anyone believe in anything.

oOo

Gabriel walked into his office a melancholy scowl present on his face. He didn't like it when his son looked at him like he was the bad guy. Everything he was doing, he was doing for his family. Why couldn't he understand that? Adrien was pushing him to do things he never wanted to do. It made him angry. Walking up to the sky-high, golden portrait of his wife, he pressed the hidden buttons. The floor panel opened and lowered him into the chamber below, his secret passage to the atrium.

The darkness of the room was stifling but could not drown out the voice of the man inside, yelling for anyone to hear. The desperate cries for help only ceased when the sound of the elevator shaft opening echoed through the empty space.

"W-Who's there?!" Tom demanded, struggling against his bindings. "Let us go immediately!"

A mumble came from the darkness, a flash of light, then the sound of something wooden – like a cane – clicked against the ground in time with footsteps. The footfalls came closer and closer until they were right in front of the man and his wife who was bound next to him.

Suddenly, A large window opened before them and they blinked hard against the light. Blinded by the brightness they could not see who was standing before them. When the man spoke, there was no doubt in their minds who it could be.

"A little butterfly told me that a certain black cat has been hanging around your home," The cold calculating lilt of his voice hung poignantly in the air. How was it even possible to have a voice any colder than the woman from the night before?

"Ch-Chat Noir?!" Tom gasped realizing that somehow Hawkmoth had figured out they had helped the hero. "We won't tell you anything!"

"That's right!" Sabine added in confident defiance.

"Aw, how very noble of you," Hawkmoth cooed, obviously mocking them. "but you mistake my reason for inviting you here..." Hawkmoth turned away from them, facing the open window of the observatory. He took in a deep breath and breathed out slowly as one might do to steady their nerves. "I already know everything there is to know about Chat Noir, including his identity. I don't require anything from you but your presence here," he paused, gazing around at the butterflies that flitted through the air, glowing in the light that streamed down through the window. "What I require is nothing more and nothing less than his full cooperation."

"No!" Sabine gasped realizing that she and her husband were to be bargaining chips in some mad game of chess.

"It is unfortunate, yes," Hawkmoth sighed, shaking his head as if he truly detested having to abduct people to get his way. "but _my_ _son_ has been determinedly acting out against me and I will not stand for it any longer! He will obey me!"

"If you have to do something this extreme to get him to obey you," Tom gave his wife a reassuring look but the sadness in her eyes broke his heart. They would get through this. Chat Noir and Ladybug would save them. He had to believe that. "then he never will. No matter what you do, Chat Noir is a hero down to his core! He'll save us! Just you watch!"

"I'm counting on that fact..." Hawkmoth's grim chuckle filled the room.

Still facing away from Tom and Sabine, they could not see the grave look on the villain's face or the misty look in his eyes. This isn't what he wanted.

oOo

Adrien came home that evening from his long day at the photo shoot. He'd been tired that morning but now he was beyond exhausted. Chloe's company during the day had unexpectedly lifted his spirits and he found himself tentatively holding on to that uplift. No matter how much hope he found within himself, his father always seemed to find a way to crush it.

Opening the doors to the front entrance, Adrien was caught by the overwhelming sense that there was something very wrong. There was no one there. Nathalie hadn't accompanied him to the shoot as per usual and she wasn't at her desk in the foyer either. Where was she?

Suddenly something came bursting through his father's office doors. An Akuma! Why would his father create an Akuma in his own house?! Wait a second... was that-

"Nathalie?!" Adrien cried as the Akuma came to stand before him a robotic look on her face as though she were using face recognition software to identify him. "Wh-what's going on?!"

"Adrien," she said in a cold, cool voice that sounded like ice and daggers. She ignored his question but continued to relay the message she'd been given. "Chat Noir's presence is required in the observatory. Immediately."

"Wait! Nathalie" Adrien cried as she turned away from him.

"I'm not Nathalie," Adrien rolled his eyes at the proclamation. Why did Akuma's always insist that their old selves no longer existed? "I am Heartless."

She turned and rushed off but to where Adrien didn't know.

"Yeah, you are..." Adrien scoffed after she was gone. A moment passed and the overwhelming sense of wrongness returned to him. It was always quiet in this house but now it seemed as though no sound could puncture the steely silence. Whatever was waiting for him in the observatory couldn't be anything good.

Adrien's thoughts suddenly turned to Marinette and his whole body went numb. He'd been to see her last night... was that what this was about? Seconds passed as he fought the urge to turn on heel and run from the house in the opposite direction. He didn't want to know what was up there. But if his father had Marinette... He couldn't run. He had to face him. Chat Noir had sworn to protect Marinette and her family no matter the cost and he couldn't run away now.

The floor of the rotunda opened and the hidden elevator lifted Chat Noir slowly into view.

"Ah, there you are, my son," Hawkmoth's voice cooed from somewhere behind him. Chat couldn't bring himself to look back at the man. Head ducked and shoulders hunched, Chat Noir balled his hands into tight fists. "it's so nice of you to finally join us."

Us? Now Chat Noir wasn't sure if he could look at all. Had his father really taken her?

"We've been waiting here for you for so long," Hawkmoth continued when Chat didn't respond or even look. Growing impatient, Hawkmoth raised his voice ever so slightly. "Look. At. Me. When I'm speaking to you."

Chat Noir cringed, fighting the urge to close his eyes. Turning his head ever so slowly, his shoulders followed then his hips and feet until he'd turned around to face his father fully. Standing at the edge of the circle of light, Chat saw Hawkmoth flip a switch on his cane and a light overhead flicked on.

Chat's heart plummeted through the floor, a sudden sob escaping him. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't feel his legs. Knees collided with the floor, a resounding thunk echoing as they struck the metal floor.

It was Tom and Sabine.

"Do I have your attention now?" Hawkmoth said quietly. Chat looked wide-eyed between Tom and Sabine then around them in search of Marinette. She wasn't here. A small part of him breathed a sigh of relief but the rest of him was actively dying at the sight of these good people gagged and chained because of their connection to him. At long last Chat's gaze turned to his father. "I trust I don't need to take your little girlfriend to get my point across. Do I?"

"N-no!" Chat cried desperately clutching his chest. "F-father, please! Not Marinette!"

"I didn't want to do this," Hawkmoth sighed heavily. "You've left me no choice."

"F-father, I'm sorry!" Chat sobbed, normally he never would have imagined crying in front of his father but this was just too much... too much... "Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll do whatever you want just don't..." Chat reached his arms over his head, his fingers clutching tightly in his hair. Slumping forward into the fetal position he half sobbed, half screamed into the floor. "DON'T DO THIS! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING! PLEASE, FATHER! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY!"

Hawkmoth cringed back at the sound of despair coming from his son. He did this... Was it worth it? Would his wish set everything right? Or had he just destroyed any chance of fixing what he'd broken so completely? Could Adrien ever recover from what he'd just done to him? Would he ever forgive him?

The man watched his son silently, trying to compose himself before he spoke again. He couldn't show any signs of weakness and right now he didn't trust his voice not to give him away. Gabriel had suspected the damage this might cause to Adrien, but he never took into consideration the damage seeing his son like this would cause him. He truly was a monster after all...

"I've spent the last couple of days creating more akumatized butterflies," Hawkmoth recounted to Chat Noir as he stayed sobbing on the floor. He had to ignore it or he would never achieve his goal. "The Akuma's I've created with them should distract the three heroes Ladybug has added to her team. I want you to go find Ladybug and take her Miraculous. I trust I don't need to tell you what's at stake. Collect yourself and go. The Akumas are already out there waiting for my signal to start creating the distraction."

Tom and Sabine could only watch helplessly as Chat Noir finally stood. The dark emotionless expression on his face was so jarring compared to the smiling, laughing boy they'd taken into their home only three weeks ago. If they could speak they would have told him to fight against Hawkmoth. They would have reassured him that everything was going to be okay. They would have done everything they could to ease his spirit. But with hands bound and mouths gagged, there was only so much they could do.

Tail swishing angrily behind him, ears flattened back in agitation, Chat turned to leave the room. There was a set determination to his stride that made Tom and Sabine worry for the boy.

"If you want the Miraculous this badly..." Chat's voice was low and dangerous. "I'll bring it to you. Without fail. I will bring you Ladybug's Miraculous."


	20. Chapter 20: No Matter What

**_What in the world was going on?!_**

Ladybug found herself in the midst of the chaos. Three Akumas were loose in Paris! _Three!_ She didn't even know Hawkmoth could manipulate more than one Akuma at a time! She and the others had their hands overflowing with Akumas and terrified civilians, so when Chat Noir landed on a rooftop nearby, she knew... this was Hawkmoth's endgame.

Ladybug braced herself as Chat Noir jumped into the fray. Claws bared and slashing before he even hit the ground, Chat Noir was fighting like his very life depended on it. Holding nothing back he knocked Ladybug into the building behind her as the fearful citizens of Paris ran by, screaming and crying. Why was this happening?

Ladybug knew she had to recover quickly, Chat would be coming in at her again, he wouldn't wait for her to catch her breath. As soon as she dropped to the ground Chat's fist collided with the wall where she'd been only a second before. The force of his strike punched a hole straight through the brick and into the room beyond the wall. Struggling to get his arm free, Ladybug took her chance using her yo-yo to entangle Chat. Thrashing violently Chat Noir couldn't free himself from the wall. His arms and legs were pulled taut against him by the indestructible string of Ladybug's yo-yo.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called to him from a distance. The other heroes were fully engaged in combat elsewhere and didn't even know Ladybug was caught in a battle with Chat Noir. "Please! Let me help you!"

Her plea seemed to fall on deaf ears as he continued to struggle against his bindings. It wasn't until she saw the look on his face that she realized there was something far more serious going on. She opened her mouth to ask but before she could get the words out, Chat cried out in his anguish.

"He has them!" Chat raged against the yo-yo. "I told you to protect them! I TOLD YOU!"

"Who? Who does he have?!" Ladybug felt her blood run cold. She could guess who Hawkmoth had in his clutches but she didn't want it to be true.

"Tom and Sabine!" Chat cried becoming more frantic in his struggle. Suddenly the yo-yo slackened releasing him from his binds. Chat tore his arm from the hole in the wall, rubbing his shoulder. "I have to fight you... I have to win!"

"Ch-Chat..." Ladybug seemed lost. Her hands clutched her chest and she staggered backward several paces, her feet only finding purchase when she backed into a parked car.

"I made a promise to Marinette a long time ago that I would never let anything happen to her or her family," Chat said solemnly. "I promised her I would protect them all no matter what. I fully intend on keeping that promise."

While Ladybug was still trying to find her strength, Chat Noir lunged for her. Unable to stop him or get away in time, she simply put up her hands in defense and closed her eyes. No strike came. No fatal blow. Instead, she felt herself being lifted bridal style into the air by a pair of strong arms. Her confusion deepened when she peeked through her squinted eyes to see Chat Noir carrying her away from the battlefield.

"My father told me to bring him your Miraculous. So that's what I'm doing..." Chat Noir said without looking at her. A determined grin on his face. "What do you say, Bugaboo? One last battle, side-by-side? For old times sake?"

"Chat..." her voice was so quiet it was lost in the rush of the wind around them. Realizing what he meant her eyes filled with tears and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in a hug. "I thought you'd never ask!"

"Sorry for attacking you on the street by the way," Chat said as he stopped on a rooftop near his house. They ducked behind a chimney. "I was angry at you when I found out Marinette's parents had been taken hostage... I was counting on you."

"I'm sorry Chat," Ladybug said placing a hand on his arm. "we really did do everything we could. Marinette reported her parents missing this morning when they didn't come home from their trip. We were out searching for them when the Akuma's attacked."

"Yeah, well, consider them found," he said grimly as he peeked around the chimney. The window of the observatory was facing the other direction. He'd made sure to circle around so they wouldn't be spotted coming in. "You see that dome on top of the house?" Chat motioned for her to look. She nodded. "That's my father's lair. That's where Tom and Sabine are being kept."

"Adrien..." she breathed quietly making Chat look back at her. There was a sad look in her eyes. "so this is why you weren't interested in helping me find him... he really didn't want to be found."

"W-well, I..." Chat rubbed the back of his neck. "that doesn't matter anymore. The only thing I care about is getting her parents out safely and taking my father down. I want to be free. I can't be until his Miraculous has been taken away."

"I'm with you this time, Chat Noir," Ladybug said reassuringly gripping his shoulder firmly. "No matter what."

"Then let's go."

Chat Noir jumped into his father's lair through the open segment of the butterfly window seemingly empty-handed. Hawkmoth turned to his son, surprised to see him back so soon. He surveyed his son through narrowed eyes.

"Well?" he prodded after a moment. "Do you have it?! Did you bring me Ladybug's Miraculous?!"

"He brought it alright!" Ladybug cried as she came swinging into the room landing skillfully next to Chat Noir, yo-yo swinging at her side. "If you want it, come and get it!"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Hawkmoth yelled, his fury evident but for the first time in his life, Chat Noir didn't shrink away. He couldn't afford to be weak anymore. Tom and Sabine and Marinette were all counting on him. He could not fail, no matter what.

"I've done what you've forced me to do, father," Chat Noir replied, his gaze drifted behind Hawkmoth to where Tom and Sabine were chained at the back of the room. Strange though it was, it seemed as though they were beaming at him. It was hard to tell, however, since they were still gagged. "I won't let you hurt these people!"

"You've just made a very grave mistake!" Hawkmoth gripped his cane tightly, hesitating ever-so-slightly. That single moment of hesitation was all Chat Noir needed.

Chat flew like lightning, kicking the bottom of the cane so hard it was nearly torn from Hawkmoth's grip. Instead, the sheath around his hidden sword flew across the room while the weapon remained firmly in the villain's grasp. On reflex Hawkmoth raised the sword to deal a strike against the boy at his feet when a yo-yo wrapped itself around his wrist, pulling his sword arm off course. The blade caught the light that shined through the window as its tip buried itself into the metal floor.

Chat rolled away and circled around pulling his staff from his back. That had been a very close call. Far too close for comfort.

Hawkmoth shook Ladybug's yo-yo from his arm and watched as it zipped back to her side, spinning in impossible circles. With Chat Noir and Ladybug on either side of him, this fight was going to be difficult. They stood for several long seconds, thinking, planning, calculating their moves.

All at once the battle started. Ladybug's yo-yo flew in at him again and again. Chat Noir jumping in to swing at him during her pull back before jumping away at Ladybug's next strike. Back and forth and back and forth! It never seemed to end, their moves synchronized perfectly, an old song they'd never forgotten how to sing. They were wearing him down. Hawkmoth was fast but he couldn't keep this up forever.

Sword flashing in the light, yo-yo zipping through the air, Chat Noir's staff finally made contact with the back of Hawkmoth's legs, knocking him to the ground. His sword fell not far from him as he knelt on the ground on all fours. His breath came in labored sighs as he held his ribs with one arm and kept himself propped up on the other.

"You don't know what you've done..." he said as Ladybug and Chat Noir closed in on him weapons still at the ready. "You don't know what's coming... I tried to warn you but there's just no reasoning with either of you."

Hawkmoth lunged for his sword but Ladybug's yo-yo was faster. Wrapped in the unbreakable cord Hawkmoth lay squirming on the ground as Chat Noir walked forward and knelt in front of his father.

"It's over, father," Chat Noir reached out and took the Moth broach from his father's chest. The flash of light that enveloped him revealed Gabriel Agreste in the most compromising position anyone had probably ever seen him in. His hair was a mess, his glasses crooked, his normally perfect suit becoming more and more disheveled the more he struggled.

"NO!" he cried but his attempts to escape were in vain. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!"

"You did this to yourself," Chat replied as he tucked the miraculous into his pocket and zipped it shut. Ladybug watched at Chat Noir walked over and took the gags from Tom and Sabine then used his Cataclysm to destroy the chains that bound them.

As soon as they were free, Tom and Sabine pulled Chat Noir into a big group hug. Tears of joy spilled down their cheeks as they held the hero tightly in their arms. Tom's laugh boomed through the room, echoing back on them. Chat hugged them back just as tightly.

"We knew you were going to save us, Chat Noir!" Tom practically sang holding the boy out at arm's length. "and of course, you too, Ladybug!"

"We never doubted you, Sweetheart, not even for a second!" Sabine cooed in a motherly fashion, gently placing her hand on Chat's cheek as even more tears welled up in her soft gray eyes.

"Celebrate while you still can!" Gabriel snarled from the ground, Ladybug standing over him. "She's still coming! You won't be able to hide from her!"

"Do you have any proof at all that what you're saying is true?" Ladybug asked placing her free hand on her hip.

"The hidden safe," Gabriel said looking at Chat Noir. "the proof is in the hidden safe behind the portrait of your mother."

Chat Noir thought for a moment, there had been several things in that safe, none of which seemed to be items worth hiding. The book of Miraculous, the portrait of his mother, the plane ticket to Tibet, and... Chat's eyes grew wide.

"The Peacock..." Chat Noir breathed realizing that perhaps his father hadn't been lying after all.

"The Peacock?" Ladybug asked, a little confused. "But I know that the Peacock miraculous was lost ages ago. You can't tell me you have it locked up in your house for a rainy day."

"It's not the actual miraculous!" Gabriel shot at her. "Its a replica, like the one I used to Akumatize Volpina! I came out with a line of costume jewelry that consisted of replicas of some of the Miraculous. This was one of those pieces. My wife is out there in search of the real one. Please, Ladybug," Gabriel's sudden pleading catching slightly off guard. "If you don't trust me, then make my wish for me! Stop this all from happening! Fix what I've broken! Please, I'm begging you!"

Ladybug looked from the desperate man on the ground to Chat Noir. He looked from his father to Ladybug, a pleading look in his eyes. She said she had his back, no matter what... did she mean it?

"For every wish made with the Miraculous, there's an opposite effect..." Ladybug said quietly to Chat Noir. "If this wish is made, it's possible something equally terrible will happen somewhere else. It's called the..."

"The Butterfly Effect..." Chat finished for her. His brow furrowed, deep in thought. "Will it be worth it? Maybe what happens somewhere else won't involve super-powered villains trying to take over the world? Wouldn't that be better than this?"

"Perhaps..." Ladybug said with a sigh. Was she really contemplating this option? Was she really ready to go this far for Adrien?

"You know," Sabine offered quietly taking a tentative step towards them. Tom stepped up beside her, his hand resting supportively on his wife's shoulder. "when we're faced with a difficult decision, I know that as long as Tom and I make the decision together, everything will work out as it should. Now, I don't know much about magical wishes or being a superhero, but I do know that if you make this decision together everything will work out for the best. No matter what."

Ladybug and Chat Noir looked from Sabine to each other, a long moment passing between them. Their decision made in silence. Funny how they always seemed to know what the other was thinking. Ladybug gave a small nervous smile to Chat who returned the gesture in kind.

"How do we do this?" he asked quietly looking down at his ring. "I guess you need my Miraculous..."

He turned the ring on his finger but before he pulled it off Ladybug placed her hand over his. Chat looked up at her confused.

"She's right," Ladybug said softly. "if we do this, we do it together."

Without a second thought, Ladybug placed her yo-yo at her hip and took Chat's hands in her own. Gabriel stood from the ground but didn't move to interrupt them. His wish was going to be made, that was all that mattered to him.

"Chat Noir," Ladybug sighed just under her breath. "make a wish with me."

Ladybug closed her eyes and Chat Noir did the same. The light of the evening sun had been replaced by the light of the moon. The white butterflies resting on the ground flapped their wings in a small scattering movement across the ground. Their wing beats appeared as moonlight skipping across the gentle waves caused by the currents of the Seine. With their fingers laced and palms pressed together, Ladybug and Chat Noir made their wishes in unison.

A light brighter than the sun erupted from their hands, quickly engulfing them and lifting them into the air. Brighter and brighter they glowed as the Miraculous responded to their wish. Their parents watching below had to shield their eyes from the intensity of the light, consuming everything.

Brighter and brighter...

brighter...

…...

brighter...

…...

…..

brighter...

...

..

.

 _ **la fin**_


	21. Epilogue: Déjà Vécu

The end of the day rolled around and so did the clouds. The dark sky rained down on them, threatening to storm. Though Marinette had put Chloe in her place that morning, something had felt off about the whole experience. As though she'd done it before but that was impossible since she'd never stood up to Chloe like that ever before.

Marinette walked through the doors of the school and held her hand out to feel the rain. Her house wasn't far but she still didn't want to walk home in the rain. Everything seemed so familiar. She shook it off as Adrien walked out only a second later.

"Hey," he said a little bit worried that she'd... she did it again. She turned away from him just like she had that morning. Why did that sting him so deeply? Adrien took a moment, his ride was there waiting for him. He didn't have long to chat. Messing with his umbrella he opened it. He took a couple steps forward, a little too nervous to look back at her at first. "I just wanted you to know that I was only trying to take the chewing gum off your seat, I swear."

He glanced back at her, resting his umbrella against his shoulder. She was looking at him. Her eyes piercing him like none ever had before. They seemed so familiar to each other like they had met before but that was impossible... wasn't it? Her lack of a response - outside her continued staring - prompted him to keep going.

"I've never been to school before," he ducked his head, closing his eyes. He'd never really been so open with anyone before. There was just something about her that made him want to share everything with her. "I've never really had friends. It's all sort of new to me."

He gave her a small smile as he looked back over his shoulder at her again. Adrien turned then, holding his umbrella out to the girl with the familiar bluebell eyes. A silent moment passed between them as a roll of thunder sounded in the distance. Marinette started slightly as the sound drew her out of her reverie. This was all just so... like it had happened in a dream.

Marinette raised her hand cautiously to take the umbrella Adrien was still offering up to her. Her hand extended and their fingers touched as the black umbrella passed from Adrien's hand to hers. Marinette looked from her hand to Adrien, trying to remember what she was supposed to say when spring shot back and closed the umbrella down on her head.

Unable to contain himself Adrien let out a hearty laugh as Marinette peeked out from under the black canvas. She laughed too, it was pretty funny but the sight of him laughing made her happier than she'd been all day... but she couldn't place why.

"See you tomorrow," Adrien said with a sigh as he turned down the steps to his car.

Marinette stood dumbfounded, dropping her small bag by her feet as he walked away.

"See ya, tomor-tomor... whoa, why am I stammering?" she looked at her hand as if it were the culprit when a tiny voice in the back of her head giggled. _I think I have an idea!_ Marinette blushed at the thought.

Adrien reached the bottom of the steps and paused. Something was missing. Someone was supposed to say something about "two lovebirds"... or was he imagining that? He stood for a moment unsure of what to do.

"Lovebirds huh?" he said quietly to himself with a small chuckle. He glanced back towards Marinette and smiled, a blush creeping onto his cheeks despite the cold. He slid into the back seat and as the car drove away Adrien and Marinette shared a single thought in unison.

 _I just had the weirdest feeling of_ _d_ _éjà_ _ _vécu ...__

A man stood nearby, his own umbrella shielding him from the rain. He stroked his gray beard as he watched Marinette collect her things and walk home.

"You made an excellent choice Master," the little green Kwami said floating up to be eye level with his elderly charge.

"I stand by what I said before," Master Fu said with a smile as he continued to stroke his beard. "Those two truly are made for each other."

 ** _la fin_**

* * *

A Special thanks to all my dedicated readers here who've been supporting me and continually encouraging me to keep writing!

Rose Tiger

Katiemonz

AkioshiWarrior

Daniela123

miracleshipper4452

Starlin's Ghost

Typicalbooklover

HalleyS

Lucky-Racer


End file.
